Priscilla Tannoya Displays Incense Holders

Priscilla Tannoya, shown here, displayed unique incense holders made by her sister, Gloria Fiore, from Deer Park. Priscilla can relate family stories about trips taken to obtain the sand and shells used to coat the outsides of many of the incense holders.

The Art of Wooden Spoon Carving

Karen Starr led a workshop in which she explained how to carve a wooden spoon from a piece of firewood. She brought wooden spoons in various stages of completion with her, as well as several that were finished. The smooth, satin finishes of the final products were very impressive and told of the many hours of loving labor that went into making them. The one shown here had an extraordinary amount of character!

Ruth Sautter Shared Many Handcrafted Items

Ruth Sautter shared many items that she's created. She brought two hooked rugs made from old woolen clothing, two pieces of reverse glass painting, and a number of pieces of silver jewelry. She is shown holding a watercolor which she recently painted.

Handbeaded Wedding Purse and Headpiece

Jaimie Galayda displayed a beautiful handbeaded purse and headpiece that she created for her recent wedding. She chose a lotus pattern for her purse.

Ikebana

Dina Leone led the Ikebana workshop. Dina has studied Kado (Shambhala form of contemplative flower practice) and Sogetsu (one of the traditional Japanese ikebana schools). She demonstrated two flower arrangements: one moribana (in a flat dish) and one negeire (upright vase style).

Dharma Art, by Chogyam Trungpa

From Publisher's Weekly: The late Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (1938-1987) was the 13th incarnation of the Trungpa tulku, a revered teacher in the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism. A refugee from the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Trungpa ultimately settled in Boulder, Colo., and founded the famous Naropa Institute, the only accredited Buddhist university in North America. As a teacher, Trungpa was famous for the utterly fresh approach he took to the most ancient and profound teachings of his tradition. In this book, Judith Leif has compiled Trungpa's teachings on Dharma art from an exceptional archive of published materials and formal talks, forming for the first time a cohesive statement of his teachings on the nature of art. Trungpa's notion of Dharma art is not merely reproducing and interpreting a collection of Buddhist symbols or ideas, but it is an approach to art as meditation, an attitude of directness and unself-consciousness in creative work. Leif's inspired selection and careful editing make this an essential book for those committed to the view that the artist should be a spiritual teacher. Dharma Art is currently out of print. This title is out of print but is included in The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa, Volume Seven. It can also sometimes available at Amazon Books through their associated sellers.

Shambhala Arts Day Coordinator Reads Talk by Chogyam Trungpa

Shambhala Arts Day began with a reading of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche's opening talk from "Dharma Art." "Dharma art" refers to creative works that spring from the awakened meditative state, characterized by directness, unselfconsciousness, and nonaggression. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche shows that dharma art provides a vehicle to appreciate the nature of things as they are and express it without any struggle or desire to achieve. At the same time, Trungpa Rinpoche stresses the need for artists to study their craft, develop skill, and absorb knowledge and insight passed down by tradition.

Haiku Workshop

Ellen Rook led the Haiku Workshop, using Paticia Donegan's Seven Keys to Haiku approach. Janis Young and Priscilla Tannoya share their haiku moments.

About Shambhala Arts Day

Shambhala Art is art that springs from the meditative state of mind. It is based on a collection of teachings by Chögyam Trungpa that appreciate the uniqueness of everyday sensory experience, the art of everyday life. Seeing the simplicity of things as they are provides the ground for genuine creative expression.This year, Shambhala Centers throughout the world will celebrate Shambhala Arts Day in conjunction with the Spring Equinox. The Albany Shambhala Meditation Center, Troy Meditation Group and NY Expressive Arts Institute will jointly co-sponsor a day of celebration on March 12, 2006, 1-6 PM at the NY Expressive Arts Institute, 4 Central Avenue, Albany, NY. Coordinators for the day's events are Ellen Rook, Lois Gundrum and Suzanne Dansereau. Events planned so far include poetry reading and workshop, theater workshop, mask-making and mask-movement workshop, painting and collage workshops, jewelry exhibit, wooden spoon carving and more.

Initial Post

The purpose of this blog is to provide a work area for coordinators, leaders, volunteers and participants for the Shambhala Arts Day, 2006, jointly sponsored by Albany Shambhala Meditation Center, Troy Meditation Group and New York Expressive Arts Institute.