Arts events across the FWBO

A few days ago FWBO News reported on the upcoming ‘Buddhism and Creativity’ conference in which FWBO artists will be taking part.

Arts have always been an integral part of the FWBO, being highlighted by Sangharakshita as one of the six ‘distinctive emphases’ of the FWBO.  His talk exploring this is on FreeBuddhistAudio.

A recent survey conducted on the FWBO’s European Chairs Assembly illustrated the variety of arts events being held across the movement.  We reproduce it here for readers’ interest. 

Berlin

Berlin Buddhist Centre choir

Weekend workshop on the arts including a gallery visit.

Essen

Two 2-day workshops including public talks, on ‘Aesthetic appreciation and the spiritual life’, including visits to art exhibitions

Film nights including talk on the evening’s film

Paris

Weekend retreat and Friends’ Night on ‘Art and the Spiritual Life’

Policy of using FWBO artists’ work on their book covers.

London Buddhist Centre

Major commissions of painting by Aloka, also sculpture

Art shows at Wild Cherry

Poetry used in Dharma teaching

Film showings

Buddhafield

The much-loved Buddhafield Festival is full of arts events – music, film, dance, drama, large-scale rituals…

Buddhafield has a long tradition of musical accompaniments to mantras

And many opportunities for musicians etc to perform.

Birmingham

Major commission of new FWBO Refuge Tree painting by Chintamani

Visits to CBSO concerts

Arts soirees

Bonfires!

Amsterdam

Five-day thanka painting workshop

Amsterdam Buddhist Centre Choir (meets fortnightly)

Plans for monthly film night

Creative writing weekend workshop

Dharmapala College

Seminars on Shakespeare’s ‘Tempest’; Mahler’s Third Symphony, and Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’.

Sheffield

Two arts exhibitions by sangha members

Poetry and music evenings

Regular poetry group

Theatre group (including visits to local productions/concerts)

Music-making and mantra-developing workshops

Art and practice workshops

Seeking funding for arts project (audio-visual equipment and picture-hanging system)

Purchase of painting by Aloka

Donation of Tara painting by Sangha member

Glasgow

Film nights showing ‘Art-house’ movies, including Indian movies

Creative writing events

Exhibitions of work by local artists and Buddhist artists

Sangha visits to local exhibitions, concerts, poetry – and publicity for local arts events at the Centre

Lots of talk in the Centre about the arts!

Ipswich

Centre ‘open-mike’ nights encouraging sangha musicians to ‘do a turn’.

North London

Annual ‘Wolf at the Door’ creative writing weekend

Sangha writers group.

‘Making Art’ day focussing on the Dakini

Sangha ‘Cabaret’ evenings with music, poetry, open mike

Idea for local film club

Idea for ‘Arts Sangha’ evenings

Lights in the Sky movies shown

Stockholm

Cultural soiree evenings with music, dance, photos, poetry…

Bristol

A program of ‘Awakening Through Art’ events

Film club at Buddhist Centre

Brighton

Participation in Brighton Festival with, eg stand-up comics, music (Jazz and Chopin), and arts exhibition

Also participation in Brighton Carnival and Winter Solstice event

Major commission of painting by Aloka

Monthly ‘Dharma Eye into the World’ events – including singing/debate/film/astronomy

Occasional music events

Sangha creative writing group

Brighton Centre choir

Art exhibition planned for Centre in 2009

Cambridge

The Windhorse pantomime!  Check last year’s on YouTube.

The Theatre!

Art exhibitions in Centre foyer

Japanese monks visiting and chanting

Sangha Poetry group

Sangha Writers’ group

Sangha Singing group

Sangha Music group

Wolf at the Door creative writing weekends

Dhanakosa

Five or six weeks worth of retreats on arts themes each year – including the ground-breaking ‘Clowning and Insight’.

Print media

The long-running Urthona arts magazine is at www.urthona.com

Websites

Videosangha has a special section for FWBO Arts movie clips

Visible Mantra, at http://visiblemantra.org  is an extraordinary resource for those interested in the art of mantra

On FWBO Photos there’s collections of some FWBO artists’ work – and of some of the stupas that have been created around the FWBO. 

There’s an FWBO Arts community page on the Free Buddhist Audio site.
The new FWBO.com website will be building in slots for FWBO artists’ work.

And finally – there’s a variety of personal sites by FWBO artists, teachers, and performers –

Wolf at the Door have for many years run creative writing weekends.

Achalabodhi  is a well-known woodcarver and teacher - www.chrispye-woodcarving.com

Aloka is perhaps the Order’s most prolific artist, and his large paintings of the Buddha grace at least five FWBO Centre shrines.  A proper website for him is long overdue but you can see some of his work at  www.padmaloka.org.uk/shop.html

Amitajyoti, painter, is at www.amitajyoti.net

Jayacitta and Red Noses Unlimited (Clowning)

Jayarava, prolific writer, calligrapher, painter, sculptor, musician and essayist. See jayarava.org/art.html  for his art, jayarava.org/music.html for his music.

Lilavati runs a Painting School at www.harperart.com

Padmavijaya is a well-established painter based in Sweden www.paul-parker.com/index.html

Padmayogini, painter and photographer, is at www.padmayogini.co.uk

Vajradaka, meditation teacher offers mentoring in creativity.

Visuddhimati runs ‘Buddhist Pictures’, a personal site showcasing her work.

And Alokavira (aka Timm Sonnenschein)is a Professional Photographer, with wide ranging reportage and commissioned work. On his website you can see fine art pinhole photography from Guhyaloka as well as recent photographs of Bhante Sangharakshita.

And last but by no means least, Sangharakshita himself is a poet, and his Collected Works are now available for free download on-line on his personal website - www.sangharakshita.org/_books/complete-poems.pdf.