The Hennepin History Museum is back with another exhibit, this time sharing and amplifying the story of the Tibetan community in Minnesota, the second largest Tibetan community in the country. The exhibit, titled “Faraway Home: Tibetans in Minnesota,” was developed in partnership with local members of the Tibetan community and the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), led by president Ngawang Dolker.
“Faraway Home,” which runs beginning July 7 until spring 2024 at the museum, highlights everything it means to be a Tibetan in the North Star State, from their resettlement into Minnesota, to their refugee experiences, to what it means to be a Tibetan now in 2023. The exhibit also speaks on Buddhism, Tibet’s main religion, as well as showcasing traditional Tibetan artwork.
Photographs by both local Tibetan photographer Tenzin Phuntsok Waleag and nationally acclaimed photographer Keri Pickett are also featured in the exhibit, the pictures preserving Tibetan culture and documenting their history, culture, and heritage.
In honor of the event’s opening, members of the local Ü-Tsang Dance Group will perform with traditional Tibetan costumes and instruments on the front lawn of the Museum, starting at 4 p.m. The Ü-Tsang Dance Group has been in existence in Minnesota for 25 years, keeping Tibetan culture alive for current and future generations.
After that, Tibetan Buddhist Monks of the Tashi Kyil Monastery will spend the day at Hennepin History Museum on July 8, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., creating mandalas for people to observe and admire. The mandalas can act as a tool for gaining wisdom and compassion via a meditatively constructed, balanced, geometric composition, and can inspire individuals on the path to enlightenment.
For more information about the event and to learn more about Tibetan culture, visit hennepinhistory.org.
