In this edition of Radio Curious we would like to take you to the country of Bhutan, East of Mount Everest and bordered by India and Tibet. Bhutan is a mystical kingdom considered by many as The Last Shangri-La. We visit "The Dragonâs Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan," an exhibit which was displayed at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California, in the spring of 2009.
We start in conversation with Therese Bartholomew, the curator of the exhibit who helps us to understand what inspired the exhibit and the trials and tribulations of transporting such valuable religious objects from monasteries at the top of Bhutanese mountains to the city of San Francisco.
We will also visit the exhibit itself and hear some of the ceremonies, meet the monks who have travelled with the exhibit and tour the museum docent Henny Tanugjaja.
Therese Bartholomew is the Curator Emeritus of Himalayan Arts at the Asian Art Museum San Francisco the book she recommends is âMy Life and Lives, The Story of a Tibetan Incarnationâ by Rato Khyongla Nawang Losang. We visited with Therese Bartholomew from her home in San Francisco on the March 27, 2009 and began by asking her what makes Bhutan and Bhutanese arts so special?
Barry Vogel, Esq. is the host and producer. Ignacio Ayala is the assistant producer.
Radio Curious is a half-hour, weekly, long-form interview program, now in it's 28th year. We interview people on a curiously wide variety of topics about life and ideas. Our website is www.radiocurious.org. If your station airs Radio Curious please let us know curious@radiocurious.org, we will add you to our list of syndicate stations. We also welcome questions, feedback and program ideas.
Asian Art Museum â The Dragonâs Gift â Sacred Arts of Bhutan