Gallery: Tibetan Monk Mandala Sand Painting At The Crow Museum

From Nov. 4-8, 2024, the Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas is hosting Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery. During this week-long artist residency, the monks are creating a traditional sand mandala. 

Local Profile visited the Crow Museum to experience the sand painting, watching the monks create the mandala. 

WHERE: The Crow Museum’s UT Dallas campus location, 800 W. Campbell Road, Richardson. 

WHEN: There are only two days left, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Nov. 8, when the closing ceremonies are held at 12 p.m. If you want to see the monks work on the sand painting, make sure you go on Thursday, Nov. 7. 

COST: Admission is free. Parking is not. According to the Crow Museum, "Visitors may pay to park in any white parking space in Lot M East directly in front of the museum entrance, or any white parking space in Parking Structure 1." It costs $2.40 an hour for white spaces with an additional $0.40 fee. Payment is via phone or mobile app. 

We also tried our hand at using the chak-pur, the traditional tool used by monks to create sand mandalas, as part of a community sand painting created especially for the UT Dallas campus and the surrounding community. The ability to get this hands-on experience helped us appreciate the beauty (and difficulty) of the monks' work. 

“For the first time in five years, the beloved Tibetan monks are returning to the Crow Museum, and our hope is that their beautiful, symbolic ceremony and presentation will provide a meditative reprieve for us all during this busy time in our lives,” Amy Lewis Hofland, senior director of the Crow Museum of Asian Art, previously said in an official statement. “We’re especially excited that the UT Dallas students on campus will get a chance to be a part of this meaningful experience.”