Pro-Art Brings Tibetan Buddhist Monks For Residency At UVA Wise

Tibetan monks of The Mystical Arts of Tibet from Drepung Loseling Monastery will undertake a residency at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA Wise) from September 30th through October 4th in conjunction with Pro-Art’s 50th season. The Mystical Arts of Tibet will construct a mandala sand painting, give a public lecture on the Tibetan diaspora and perform “Sacred Music, Sacred Chants for Peace and Healing.” There will also be a community mandala that all are invited to help construct. Prior to the monks’ arrival, Buddhist scholar Dr. Jed Forman of Loyola Marymount University will give a public Zoom lecture to provide an introduction to mandala practice in Tibetan Buddhism. All events of the residency are free and open to the public. For more information and to make reservations, please visit proartva.org.

MANDALA SAND PAINTING

Tibetan Buddhist monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery will construct a mandala sand painting from September 30th to October 4th in the C. Bascom Slemp Student Center at UVA Wise. From all the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, that of painting with colored sand ranks as one of the most unique and exquisite. Millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place on a platform over a period of days to form the image of a mandala. The monks have created over 100 mandala sand paintings in museums, art centers, colleges and universities across the United States and Europe.

The mandala sand painting begins with an opening ceremony on Wednesday, September 30th at 1 p.m., during which the lamas consecrate the site and call forth forces of goodness by means of chanting, music and mantra recitation.The lamas begin the exhibit by drawing an outline of the mandala on a wooden platform. On the following days they lay the colored sands. Each monk holds a traditional metal funnel called a chak-pur while running a metal rod on its grated surface. The vibration causes the sands to flow like liquid onto the platform.

Traditionally most sand mandalas are destroyed shortly after their completion as a metaphor for the impermanence of life. The sands are swept up and placed in an urn; to fulfill the function of healing, half is distributed to the audience at the closing ceremony, while the remainder is carried to a nearby body of water, where it is deposited. The waters then carry the healing blessing as it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing. The closing ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 4th at 2 p.m. Please bring a small container if you would like to keep some of the sand.

There will also be a community mandala that all are invited to help construct! Any time that you come view the exhibition, you can work on the community mandala. Exhibition construction and viewing times can be found at proartva.org.

SACRED MUSIC, SACRED CHANTS FOR PEACE AND HEALING PERFORMANCE

The famed multiphonic singers of Tibet’s Drepung Loseling Monastery, whose sellout performances in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center received national acclaim, will perform “Sacred Music, Sacred Chants for Peace and Healing” on Friday, October 2nd at 7 p.m. in the Gilliam Center for the Arts Black Box Theater at UVA Wise as part of their international tour of The Mystical Arts of Tibet. The performance is free and open to all.

The performance features multiphonic singing, wherein the monks simultaneously intone three notes of a chord. The Drepung Loseling monks are particularly renowned for this unique singing. They also utilize traditional instruments such as 10-foot-long dung-chen horns, drums, bells, cymbals and gyaling trumpets.

The Mystical Arts of Tibet tour is produced by Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta, GA, the North American Seat of Drepung Loseling Monastery, India. Endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the tour has three basic purposes: to contribute to world peace and healing; to generate a greater awareness of the endangered Tibetan civilization; and to raise support for the Tibetan refugee community in India.

The monks of Drepung Loseling have a distinguished modern-day musical history. On past tours they have performed with Kitaro, Paul Simon, Philip Glass, Eddie Brickell, Natalie Merchant, Patti Smith, the Beastie Boys, and the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart, to name but a few. To learn more about The Mystical Arts of Tibet, please visit mysticalartsoftibet.org.

PUBLIC LECTURES

In anticipation of The Mystical Arts of Tibet residency, Professor and Buddhist scholar Dr. Jed Forman of Loyola Marymount University will give a public lecture entitled, “Gods All Around: Mandala Practice in Tibetan Buddhism” on Monday, September 28th at 1 p.m. in the Dogwood Room of the C. Bascom Slemp Student Center at UVA Wise. The lecture will take place on Zoom and is open to all members of the community. A Q&A session will follow the talk. The Zoom link can also be found at proartva.org.

The Mystical Arts of Tibet will give a lecture entitled “Tibet Today: The History of a Diaspora” on Friday, October 2nd at 1 p.m. in Cantrell Hall at UVA Wise. This lecture focuses on the contemporary Tibet situation: the invasion by Communist China in the 1950s, the efforts of the refugees in exile to preserve their civilization, and the situation in occupied Tibet. The event is free and open to all.

This residency is brought to you in conjunction with Pro-Art’s 50th season and is supported in part by The University of Virginia’s College at Wise and the Town of Wise.

Pro-Art is celebrating a remarkable milestone: 50 years of bringing arts experiences to the communities of Southwest Virginia. To mark its golden anniversary, Pro-Art is making an unprecedented commitment to accessibility—every performance in its 50th season will be free to all. From internationally recognized artists and acclaimed theater companies to Appalachian musicians and beloved regional traditions, Pro-Art’s 2026–2027 season brings together an extraordinary range of music, theater, dance, and cultural programming. Pro-Art’s 50th season runs through summer 2027, with performances taking place in community spaces and venues across Wise, Lee, and Dickenson Counties and the City of Norton. Explore the season and make reservations to attend by visiting proartva.org.

Pro-Art partners with a variety of venues, for accessibility inquiries or general questions, call (276) 376-4520 or email contact@proartva.org. For weather related updates, patrons are encouraged to check proartva.org for real-time information.

Pro-Art is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly. Pro-Art is additionally supported in part by the C. Bascom Slemp Foundation, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Smith Vicars Family Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.