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St. Olaf College’s Flaten Art Museum is thrilled to present Gateway to Himalayan Art, a traveling exhibition organized by the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art that introduces the main forms, concepts, meanings, and traditions of Himalayan art and cultures. The exhibition features objects from the Rubin Museum’s collection as well as multimedia elements — audio, videos, essays, maps, and more — from the Rubin’s educational initiative, Project Himalayan Art, a resource designed to support the inclusion of Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian art and cultures into undergraduate teaching on Asia.

“Tibetan art and culture is underrepresented in most liberal arts curricula compared to more widely known art traditions in Asia,” said Karil Kucera, a professor of art history and Asian studies at St. Olaf College. “In bringing this exhibition to St. Olaf, we seek to broaden our students’ understanding of historic and contemporary Tibetan and Himalayan art and culture. Thanks to ASIANework’s support for collaboration among educators, the network of Asian scholars is strong. Faculty at several neighboring institutions will also teach with the exhibition, expanding the reach of these exciting resources.” 

The exhibition will be on view September 12–December 7, 2025, at the Flaten Art Museum at St. Olaf College. All are welcome to attend the Ceremonial Blessing at 5 p.m. and Opening Reception from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 12, at the Flaten Art Museum––located in the Center for Art and Dance––for Gateway to Himalayan Art and Tashi Delek, Minnesota! The blessing and reception will feature Minneapolis Tibetan dance group, Gyalshey Rukhag leading a procession into the Center for Art and Dance and monks from the Gyuto Wheel of Dharma Monastery in Minneapolis will offer ritual blessings.

Gateway to Himalayan Art invites visitors to enter into the art and cultures of the greater Himalayan region — Indian, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Tibetan — and the interrelated Mongolian and Chinese traditions. Much of Himalayan art is informed by Buddhist, Hindu, and indigenous religions, and images play a prominent role in cultural practices.

The exhibition highlights the fundamental visual language and meanings of Himalayan art, the materials and techniques used, and the purposes for the creation of these objects, often in the context of religious and secular well-being. It also includes voices from Himalayan artists and contemporaries, along with connections to related digital content to learn more. 

Gateway to Himalayan Art features traditional scroll paintings (thangka), sculptures in various media, medical instruments, and ritual objects. Among the featured installations are in-depth displays that explain the process of Nepalese lost-wax metal casting and the stages of Tibetan thangka painting.

In addition, the Flaten Art Museum is hosting a companion exhibition, Tashi Delek, Minnesota! (Auspicious Blessings, Minnesota!) from September 12 to October 17, in the Object Study Room, Center for Art and Dance. This exhibition will give visitors a glimpse into the public life of Tibetan Minnesotans through photographs and videos. Tashi Delek, Minnesota! (Auspicious Blessings, Minnesota!) was curated by Thor Anderson ‘87 and Kucera with the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota, and is not organized by the Rubin Museum. 

“The Flaten Art Museum is honored to partner with the Rubin Museum as they pilot a unique ‘global museum’ model, which emphasizes education and access to their unparalleled collection,” said Jane Becker Nelson, director of the Flaten Art Museum at St. Olaf College. “Since Minnesota is home to the second largest Tibetan community in the United States, we are taking this opportunity to highlight their vibrant culture through our connections with alumni and current students. In a college, state, and world that is increasingly culturally and religiously diverse, this exhibition provides rich learning opportunities for our students and the wider community.”

“It is exciting to see the Rubin Museum’s traveling exhibition, a part of the flagship educational initiative Project Himalayan Art, hosted at the Flaten Art Museum,” says Elena Pakhoutova, Rubin Museum Senior Curator. “The programs with the local Tibetan community will really activate the living cultural traditions represented in Gateway to Himalayan Art, which is demonstrated in the artworks, thematic presentation, and integrated resources.”

The Flaten Art Museum will host a number of educational programs in conjunction with the exhibitions. Four monks from the Gyuto Wheel of Dharma Monastery in Minneapolis will create a sand mandala in St. Olaf College’s Groot Gallery from September 30 through October 5. The public is welcome to observe the creation of the sand mandala during regular museum hours. A consecration ceremony will be held on September 30 at 10 a.m. in Groot Gallery. A dissolution ceremony will take place on October 5 at 2 p.m., processing from Groot Gallery to the Cannon River. 

On Tuesday, November 4, the Flaten Art Museum will welcome Tenzin Namdul, TMD, PhD, an  assistant professor and director of the Tibetan Healing Initiative Program at the University of Minnesota, for a lecture on traditional and contemporary Tibetan medical practice. The lecture will take place in Regents Hall of Natural Science at St. Olaf College. This event is free and open to the public. 

Gateway to Himalayan Art is on view September 12–December 7, 2025 in the Flaten Art Museum. Tashi Delek, Minnesota! is on view September 12–October 17, 2025. Exhibitions and related programming are free and open to the public.

Support for Project Himalayan Art

Leadership support for Project Himalayan Art is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

From July 1, 2023, through April 2, 2025, Project Himalayan Art was supported in part by a major grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.

From September 1, 2023, through April 8, 2025, this project was supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-253379-OMS-23.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Lead support is provided by the Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation, Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, the E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Noah P. Dorsky, Fred Eychaner, Christopher J. Fussner, the Estate of Lisina M. Hoch, Matt and Ann Nimetz, The Randleigh Foundation Trust, Shelley and Donald Rubin, and Jesse Smith and Annice Kenan.

Major support is provided by Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Stephen and Sharon Davies, the Edward & Elizabeth Gardner Foundation, Mimi Gardner Gates, Janet Gardner, Hongwei Li, Max Meehan, the Monimos Foundation, Edward O’Neill, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Sarah and Craig Richardson, Rossi & Rossi, Basha Frost Rubin and Scott Grinsell, the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, Namita and Arun Saraf, Eric and Alexandra Schoenberg, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, UOVO, Sandy Song Yan, and the Zhiguan Museum of Art.

Special Support is provided by:

Dr. Bibhakar Sunder Shakya, to honor the memory and legacy of Professor Dina Bangdel, art historian, curator, cultural activist, and educator from Nepal.

Samphe and Tenzin Lhalungpa, to honor the memory and works of L.P. Lhalungpa, Tibetan scholar, broadcaster, and educator.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this initiative do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.