CAPC Originating Community Consultation Grant awarded to Ann Shaftel
Ann reports on a project with the monastic residents of Karma Changchub Ling
The project is completed and it has certainly benefitted the community, not only the Nova Scotia community whose thangkas and other sacred art traveled well to their new monastery, but also benefitted the international Buddhist community.
The conservation outreach aspect of the project was successful in that it offered useful information with practical and low-cost solutions to a community here in Nova Scotia that learned an alternative to the harmful thangka rolling tradition, and to the international Buddhist community who also continue to roll thangkas for travel and storage.
The monastic residents of Karma Changchub Ling watched closely as I prepared the sacred art for the move, and then again as I released the thangkas from their supporting boards to re-hang them in the new monastery. In the future, they will know how!
Through images and text, with CAPC credited in each post, approximately 5000 monks/ nuns/conservators/thangka owners and scholars who follow my social media on FB, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. were engaged, and they shared the posts further especially in Buddhist community groups, our intended audience.
Many have contacted me privately to ask further questions about this topic of rolling/not rolling thangkas, how to store, and prepare sacred art for a move.
Thank you for this grant, the community truly benefitted.
Ann Shaftel May 11, 2021
