Paula Swart will be speaking at MOA this Sunday, June 17 at 1:00 pm in the Michale M. Ames Theatre.

Paula Swart With Robert Thurman.

Paula Swart is the curator of MOA’s current exhibition Visions of Enlightenment: Buddhist Art at MOA, now on display until September 30, 2012.  She has been a museum curator for more than 20 years and is an expert on Asian culture and history. Paula has degrees in Sinology, Asian art history, Chinese history, and archaeology. She speaks five languages, including Mandarin, and has published several books and numerous articles on the art and architecture of Asian cultures.

As Buddhism spread across Asia, symbols and sacred images developed to represent the Buddha and support his teachings. These images offer the devotee and viewer both consistency in the forms of Buddhist art, and a vast array of subtle and obvious differences. The latter illuminate the variety of rituals, religious texts, and beliefs generated over time, culture, and geography. They offer a window into Buddhist philosophy, aesthetics and values, in a marriage of beauty and meaning.Works in the exhibition focus on basic Buddhist concepts and images, and reflect the purpose of Buddhist art in

teaching, facilitating meditation, gaining merit, and devotional practice.  Included are sculptures, paintings, scrolls, ceramics, manuscripts and textiles, drawn from MOA’s private lenders in BC, and the collection of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

As the Curartor of Visions of Enlightenment, we expect nothing but expertise and excellence from Sunday’s talk with Paula Swart. We hope to see you there!