Gallery
33
February
27th through May 29th, 2005
The
Meadows Museum at Centenary College presents The Tibetan Photo
Project exhibit.
This
major exhibition features approximately 60 photographic images,
Tibetan artifacts, guest lectures, cultural performances by Drepung
monks. Twenty of recently discovered photos of Tibet in 1932 and
over 40 contemporary images by Tibetans in exile will be on display.
The
following are photos and captions of some of these events.
Click
film strip to go to Gallery index page.
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February
27th through May 29th, 2005 Shreveport, Louisiana
Visit
the events and presentations
page for a complete list of events
In
2000, The Tibetan Photo Project got its start when North Coast photographer
Joe Mickey sent the first disposable camera to a Tibetan monk living
in exile at the Drepung monastery in southern India. Co-founder
Sazzy Varga made it possible for the project to go on the Web.
Now
in its fifth year, photos taken for the project by a small team
of Tibetans photographers are creating a growing voice for their
exile community. Through media coverage of The Tibetan Photo Project,
some portion of the story of Chinese government's policies of human
and cultural genocide inflicted on the Tibetans has been told to
millions in regional and national print, via Internet links and
through public radio interviews in the U.S. and Canada.
According
to Mickey, the ability of the Tibetan's images to attract attention
is increasing in volume with a traveling gallery exhibit created
by Lynn Holly for Antioch University's campus locations in Santa
Barbara and Los Angeles. Antioch is also making plans to tour the
exhibit at up to four more campus locations across the U.S.
Turning
up the volume even higher is the extensive exhibit and program schedule
created by Diane Dufilho, director of the Meadows Museum at Centenary
College in Shreveport, Louisiana.
On
Feb. 26, after a year and a half of preparation, the Meadows Museum
opened its doors on The Tibetan Photo Project. To highlight the
photos by the exiled Tibetans, the walls of the entire first-floor
gallery have been painted to match the yellow of the robes worn
by Tibetan monks. On the second floor, a gallery and hallway are
also filled with images.
Dufilho
has balanced the photo exhibit with Tibetan artifacts, paintings
and hands-on exhibits of prayer wheels, a singing bowl and monks
bell. In early April, the Meadows will host Tibetan monks who will
spend four days creating a sand mandala and in late April, the monks
will give a cultural performance in the 1700 seat landmark Strand
theater.
To
coincide with the exhibit, which runs through May, Dufilho's museum
staff has created a series of community outreach programs and scheduled
a number of lectures in high schools and at the museum as well as
initiated a citywide essay program open to high school students
on the topic of Tibet. Fifty students will earn tickets to the cultural
performance.
At
the museum, a team of 20 volunteer docents have undergone extensive
training to answer questions from visitors. The Shreveport Times
(Circulation 80,000-plus) has given generous coverage to the Tibetan
struggle and the project in its art section.
Mickey
flew to Shreveport for the opening and also for his first face to
face meeting with Tenzin Wangden Andrugtsang, one of the Tibetan
photographers he has been corresponding with and supplying cameras
to for the past four years. In the past year, Mickey took on the
role of producer for Wangden's documentary film "Voices in Exile."
Working with technical advice from Fort Bragg Filmmaker Paul Kraus,
Mickey supplied Wangden with a video camera and computer editing
equipment in northern India where he has been filming. "It is a
natural evolution of the project to put the images in motion," said
Mickey, "and now people can literally hear the voice of the Tibetans
on a variety of issues."
Upon
making arrangements for Wangden's visa to America, Centenary and
the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities offered technical support
for the editing process through the school's film program.
In
their first meeting, Wangden also outlined a new program being created
by Centenary that will bring three Tibetan students from India every
year so they can receive a full college education.
On
Feb. 27, projecting from the gallery filled with photos by Tibetans
and Tibetans cultural artifacts, Wangden and Mickey were able to
present a 40-minute premiere of a work-in-progress to a standing-room-only
crowd of Wangden's film.
The
following day, media coverage went statewide when Wangden, Mickey
and Dufilho were interviewed for a segment of the Louisiana television
broadcast of the popular "State of Louisiana" program.
In
the interview, Mickey and Wangden took turns restating information
from their lectures, "Every time the media reports that the Chinese
have killed one-sixth of the Tibetan population and that they continue
to follow policies bent on destroying Tibet's culture, it grows
the voice and it speaks to the power of a single frame of film."
In this interview, another exciting development was announced, "And
now, thanks to the introductions at Centenary created by the photography,
there is a new educational opportunity available to some Tibetan
youth with a program that will bring promising students to the U.S.
for a college education at Centenary."
As
Mickey sees it, "I haven't had any money to peruse this project,
but when you see how it continues to develop, it is testimony to
the power of every frame of film and the potential photography holds
to give voice and opportunity to people who otherwise would have
neither."
And
what does he see as the next goal? "Our deal with the Meadows is
that we get the framed prints when the show closes, so we need to
find the next venue for the exhibit. We have come this far with
little financial support...we find our way, like monks with begging
bowls."
Mickey
is planning a North Coast premiere of the 40-minute work-in-progress
version of "Voices in Exile." He will return to Louisiana for a
week of lectures at the beginning of April. Antioch University in
Los Angeles will finish the spring semester with the Tibetan Photo
Project. Arrangements are being made to open the exhibit in the
fall in Ohio. On March 10, Wangden will return to Dharamsala, India
where he will finish the film. To keep up with developments on "Voices
in Exile," click the link to Wangden's film on the menu at the left.
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Joe In front of the Meadows Museum Prior to
meeting Wangden for the first time
The first meeting of Joe and Wangden
Crowd at the Meadows opening
Wangden teaching the young kids in the audience
Wangden demonstrating the singing bowls with
the audience
The FIRST Screening of "Voices in Exile"
as work-in-progress
Wangden Q and A after the film
Wangden's TV interview after the screening
Joe's TV interview after the screening
Joe's TV interview after the screening
Wangden In front of the Meadows Museum seeing
Joe off.
All
imAll
images are Copyright 2001-2011, Joe Mickey and the Tibetan Photo
Project and may not be published without permission. While you
may print the material on this site for easy reading or sharing
with friends. For feature articles, publication or public use
of any of the material or images contained on this site please
contact Joe Mickey via e-mail at tibetanphoto@gmail.com and please reference y
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