Art Project

As you have already seen, one of the Tibetan ephemeral arts is mandala making. Another, equally as time consuming and important practice is making of butter scuptures. This is the task we are going to recreate in this project. Take a look at some of these images of butter sculptures created by Tibetan Buddhist monks, and the level of detail they they can attain through this medium.

Each group is in charge of doing some basic reasearch, indentifying a theme, and undertaking the construction of your own version of a butter sculputre. Because of the inavailability of yak butter here (and because of the climate the Louisiana) we are going to create our sculptures out of the slightly more permanent PlayDough. I will provide you with some basic tools to make your sculpture with.

As you are doing this, I want you to concentrate on the process and the meaning behind it. What do you think monks making these sculptures are trying to convey? In what way are they offerings? How do they help to convey the concept of impermancence that is so important to buddhism and an essential theme in Tibetan art?

Some resources to get you started on your study:

www.gyuto.org/images/monks_gallery/index.htm

www.gyuto.va.com.au/monks/ritual/butter.html

friendsoftibet.org/sofar/butter.html

http://www.chinastyle.cn/chinese-carving/butter-sculptures.htm