INTRODUCTION

This website was created as part of the 2008 Institute on the Literatures, Religions, and Arts of the Himalyan Region. This is an NEH Institute for K-12 teachers. In this institute we studied a wide ranging variety of topics. Some of the topics included Tibetan Medicine, Ancient Tibetan History, Buddhist Literature, the Art and Architecture of the Himalayan Region, Modern Tibetan Literature, Cultural Traditions in the Tibeto-Burman Region as well as many other topics. As part of this institute we have each created a website which contains a curriculum implementation plan. This plan contains information from the institute which will be useful in our classrooms.

My name is Sarah Rowe and I am an art teacher at St. Jean Baptiste High School in New York City. St. Jean Baptiste High School is a Catholic all girls school located in the heart of Manhattan and my students are in grades 9-12. In this website, I have included three lessons which pertain to the arts of Tibet and Nepal. In these lessons, students will create a symbolic collage containing drawings of mudras, a symbolic thangka painting, and a poster related to contemporary American societal problems inspired by graphic art in Nepal. I have also included links to other useful websites for art teachers.

This has been a truly fascinating institute and I am very grateful to Professor Todd Lewis and Professor Leonard van der Kuijp and their families. Because of their vision and thoughtful planning, we have had to the opportunity to learn about the Himalayan region from a wide variety of experts in the field. Thanks also to Maureen Stephens from Clark University who was the Curriculum Consultant for this Institute and also to Mary Morrisard-Larkin, the Director of Educational Technology at Holy Cross. Thank you to the student assistants in the computer lab and also to all the staff at Holy Cross who have contributed to making this institute a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Thanks also to the National Endowment for the Humanities for sponsoring such meaningful and thought provoking opportunity.