Submitted by David Polonitza
As part of the Westfield Historical Society’s First Wednesday Luncheon series Gabrielle Yablonsky will be presenting a talk on art and culture in Bhutan on May 1, 2018. The event will begin at 11:45 a.m. at the Echo Lake Country Club, located at 515 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey.
Bhutan is a landlocked country of about 750,000 people in the Eastern Himalayas between India and Tibet. Bhutan’s lower elevations are home to indigenous Indo-Mongoloid tribes and recent Nepalese immigrants; and its higher altitudes are settled by Tibetans, who immigrated into Bhutan’s three main regions of West, Central and East Bhutan starting around the 8th century, though the country was not unified until the reign of Shabdrung Nawang Namgyal in the 17th century. These regions are diverse in language, social customs, and religions, including the ancient Tibetan Bon religion, Central Asian shamanism, and Red Sect Buddhism. Bhutan’s religious diversity is reflected in its remarkable arts, said to number thirteen, which include weaving, sculpture, painting, woodcarving, and metalwork.
Gabrielle Yablonsky, an art historian and artist, undertook fieldwork in Bhutan in the 1970s at a time when foreigners were not permitted entry into Bhutan and Bhutanese customs were still well preserved. Her several years of fieldwork were supported by Fulbright and Ford Foundation grants; and her collateral research in Nepal and the Indian Himalayas was sponsored by a Guggenheim Fellowship. Subsequently, she traveled in Tibet, Western China, and Central Asia. In addition to her PhD studies at UCLA, she holds an MA from Yale University, an MFA from Boston University, and a BA from Bryn Mawr College. She has taught at the University of Texas, Austin; the University of California, Santa Cruz; and the University of Oregon, and has published articles on cloth and shamanism in Bhutan, on Bhutanese sculpture, and on the murals of the Tibetan Book of the Dead adorning an obscure Tibetan temple she discovered in 2002.
Those wishing to attend the luncheon may make a reservation by calling Carol at 908-654-1794, by noon Friday, April 27th, 2018. The luncheon fee of $35 (WHS members) or $40 (non-members) includes a three-course meal, coffee/tea, and gratuity. The luncheon fee may be paid at the door. Westfield Historical Society memberships will also be available at the luncheon.
For Echo Lake County Club dress code information, visit: echolakecc.org/club.
The Westfield Historical Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Since 1968, the 501(c)(3) non-profit Westfield Historical Society has worked to preserve, interpret and encourage interest in history, Westfield, and its residents through educational efforts and community outreach programs.
For further information on the Westfield Historical Society and its activities, or to volunteer, call 908-654-1794 or visit westfieldhistoricalsociety.org; and like us on Facebook!
