Bogin Benjamin: Forms of Awakening

Showcasing the richness of Tibetan Buddhist imagery, this magnificent collection explores key concepts and figures in Tibetan Buddhist art

Published in collaboration with the Tang Museum, the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, and the Williams College Museum of Art.

For centuries, Tibetan Buddhists have regarded works of art as objects of veneration, guides for meditation, and tools for teaching. The enlightened mind of the Buddha is embodied in the forms of Tibetan Buddhist visual culture.

Jack Shear is a photographer and president of the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. He has donated more than 60 works of Tibetan art from his collection to three museums: the Tang Museum at Skidmore College, the Frances Lehman Loeb Center at Vassar College, and the Williams College Museum of Art. These include traditional thangkas, as well as other Buddhist devotional objects. The collection and the accompanying exhibitions thus draw a connection between the past and the present: between concepts of awakening within the body, the built environment, and the landscape.

With a rich green cloth-bound cover and stunning endpapers featuring images from the artworks inside, *Forms of Awakening* is three books in one: a comprehensive catalog of the Jack Shear gift of Tibetan art; a scholarly volume of essays exploring the rich possibilities for engaging with Tibetan visual culture, both inside and outside the classroom; and a record of the three exhibitions celebrating this exceptional gift.