Festival of Tibetan Arts & Culture of the Adirondack Coast? Brings Together Many Partners to Highlight Tibetan Arts and Culture in the North Country
Plattsburgh, NY – March 19, 2015 – Mountain Lake PBS is pleased to announce the launch of the Festival of Tibetan Arts & Culture of the Adirondack Coast. The Festival’s kick-off event, Rhythms of Tibet From the Roof of the World, is a performance of traditional dance and music by artists from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts on Saturday April 4, at 2 PM at the E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium in Hawkins Hall at SUNY Plattsburgh. Following the performance, audience members are invited to participate in the first tile making event that will lead to a community-made tile mural to be installed in downtown Plattsburgh.
This multi-faceted project aims to highlight the changing life of Tibetans who have relocated during the diaspora.The festival brings together a multitude of arts and cultural organizations including Mountain Lake PBS, Adirondack Center for Tibet, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh Renewal Project, and the Adirondack Youth Orchestra. The festival includes:
- Multimedia concert performances by the Adirondack Youth Orchestra (AYO) of Tibetan music arranged for orchestra;
- An Arts Festival at SUNY Plattsburgh featuring an exhibition of photography, thangka, woodcarving, and creation and ritual dismantling of sand mandala in partnership with the Plattsburgh State Art Museum, the Anthropology Department, and Asian Studies Committee;
- A coordinated community art making project led by Sue Burdick Young with the Plattsburgh Renewal Project– a 10?x10? tile mural uniting our local community with traditions and themes of Tibetan arts and culture, resulting in a lasting legacy piece installed in a public space in downtown Plattsburgh; and
- A documentary of the festival and its performances, exploring the hidden treasures within our region, and the ability of the arts to unify communities produced by Mountain Lake PBS, which has the potential to be viewed nationally on PBS stations across the United States.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled about this project,” said Janine Scherline, Director of Fundraising & Business Development at Mountain Lake PBS. “It unites so many of the important arts and cultural partners in and around the Adirondack Coast and has the potential for incredible economic impact across the region.”
Now in its fourth iteration, the Festival of Tibetan Arts & Culture of the Adirondack Coast continues the community dialogue around Tibetan arts and culture in the North Country. For the first time, this festival brings together the key partners to document, preserve and build awareness for the cultural and artistic heritage of the Tibetan community within the North Country and Plattsburgh through art installations, performances, community art making, and a documentary. This collaboration of regional arts and cultural organizations raises the awareness of the Adirondack Coast as a destination for the cultural arts.
The next event scheduled for the festival is a screening of the film, The Way Home: Journey of Family and Faith, about three generations of Tibetan women in exile fighting to save their cultural heritage. This screening will take place Monday, April 13 at 7 pm in Yokum Hall, Room 206 at SUNY Plattsburgh. The film?s director, Marilyn Pennell will be present for a question and answer/discussion session following the film.
Festival of Tibetan Arts & Culture of the Adirondack Coast is a series of community events illuminating the arts and culture of Tibet in the North Country between April and December 2015 including performances by the Adirondack Youth Orchestra; an exhibition at SUNY Plattsburgh; the creation and installation of a tile mural in downtown Plattsburgh led by the Plattsburgh Renewal Project; and a documentary by Mountain Lake PBS. This festival is funded, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
About Mountain Lake PBS
Mountain Lake PBS produces high quality programs for local and worldwide audiences, reaching over 3.9 million viewers in New York, Vermont, Quebec and Ontario. The station also provides a host of education and outreach services for learners of all ages and devotes at least eight hours a day to programming for children.
Mountain Lake PBS? mission is to celebrate and strengthen the civic and cultural life of the Mountain Lake region by providing distinctive telecommunications programs and services that inform, educate, involve and entertain. mountainlake.org
About Plattsburgh Renewal Project
A group of citizen volunteers with a mission to engage and encourage the residents of Plattsburgh and the region to contribute and complete short-term community projects that permanently enhance the quality of life in our city and our communities. facebook.com/plattsburghrenewalproject
About Adirondack Youth Orchestra
Founded in 1985, the Adirondack Youth Orchestra Association provides the opportunity for area youth to interact with other musicians; refine their technique; develop professional habits; learn to perform as a team; and share their talents with the North Country. We have been able to sustain growth over the years because of our partnership with the community, our dedicated musicians, their parents and teachers, which leads to growth and success through music. ayoa.org
About Adirondack Center for Tibet
Adirondack Center for Tibet is a group of volunteers dedicated to bringing the arts and culture of Tibet alive in the greater Plattsburgh region.
About SUNY Plattsburgh
SUNY Plattsburgh is a public, comprehensive college that prepares students for academic, professional, and personal success. The Plattsburgh experience challenges students to discover their potential, to seek new intellectual horizons, and to learn skills that can turn dreams into realities. plattsburgh.edu
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