Portals to Shangri-La: Masterpieces from Buddhist Mongolia, a fine arts exhibition in honor of the 800th anniversary of Mongolian statehood. Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, Atlanta, Feb to August, 2006 (Project completed)
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  While working in 2005 on projects to benefit the Zanabazar National Fine Arts Museum with my friend and UB Guide publisher Batbold Baast, as well as with Museum Director Batdorj Damdensuren, the subject of the 2006 celebration of the 800th anniversary of Mongolian statehood came up. Batdorj pointed out that numerous countries in Europe and Asia had scheduled events to mark the occasion, but nothing had been scheduled for America. I offered to look into the situation.
To this end I approached my old friend Prof. Lloyd Nick at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art in Atlanta, for whom I had curated numerous exhibitions in the past, most notably The Mystical Arts of Tibet, Featuring Sacred Objects of HH the Dalai Lama, in honor of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Lloyd offered to host a Mongolian show from the Zanabazar National Fine Arts Museum, and also to arrange for it to travel to several other university museums in America. Lufthansa offered sponsorship to transport the artwork and eight guests from Mongolia. Prof Lloyd Nick also worked with Honorary Mongolian Ambassador John Endicott of Georgia Tech University to create a city-wide smorgasbord of Mongolia-related activities, including lectures, films and cultural shows in the four main Atlanta-area universities: Emory, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw and Oglethorpe.
 All seemed well, and a year later the exhibit was all set to go. Unfortunately three weeks before the exhibit opening the Mongolian government collapsed. Not sure that these new circumstances would allow us to meet our schedule, Lloyd and I decided instead to cancel the arrangement with the Zanabazar National Fine Arts Museum and instead borrow from eight great American collectors of Asian art. The outcome was superb.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution did a major article on the exhibit. This can be viewed online on the AJC site. A copy of this (without the photos) is on my website: www.glennmullin.com
You can view OUMA’s website at www.museum.oglethorpe.edu Click on “Past Exhibits” and scroll down to find the Portals to Shangri-La show. |
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