Slideshows of Eastern Tibet by Dianne Aigaki

In the absence of any news from Art Refuge UK currently (we have been busy looking for a Project Manager), I thought I’d let you know about a slideshow/talk entitled The ‘Dream of the Turquoise Bee: Cultural Diplomacy in Tibet’ by Dianne Aigaki in London this month.

Dianne has been recommended to us by a mutual friend. She is a member of the Society of Women Geographers (premier group of women explorers in the world) and WINGS WorldQuest. She has exhibited at London’s Royal Horticultural Society, the Minnesota Arboretum and the International Conference of Botanical Illustrators in Thailand.

“Her photos and expertise give us a window into 21st century Tibet—its incredible beauty and the dilemma of a society experiencing cultural marginalization for more than 60 years. Yak herding, village ceremonies, wildflower meadows filled with endangered and medicinal plants, nuns debating, monks imprisoned for writing Free Tibet, searching for the Tibetan blue poppy at 16,000 feet altitude, and Chinese government plans to relocate 100,000 nomads into modern cities. It’s all part of this show.

Aigaki shows how her botanical illustration project of flora growing at 11,000-18,000 ft altitude and eco-tourism partnership with villagers (Dream of the Turquoise Bee Tours) weave into the lives of local Tibetans, encouraging preservation of local flora and passing on of the oral tradition of plant medicines. The projects generate income for poor families, support for an ancient nunnery, the Every Child Goes to School Fund, and health care for frail, elderly Tibetans.”

All Events: Requested Donation £10 to Gedun Choeling Nunnery in Kham Tibet.

Dates are:
February 20 (Sunday) 4:00-6:00pm
HIGHGATE SOCIETY
10A South Grove, Highgate Village N6

February 21 (Monday) 6:30-8:00pm
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC STORE
83-97 Regent Street W1B 4EW

February 22 (Tuesday)    6:30-8:00PM
LANSDOWNE CLUB
9 Fitzmaurice Place W1J  

February 23 (Wednesday) 3:00-5:00pm
SCHOOL of ORIENTAL and AFRICAN STUDIES (SOAS)
Thornhaugh Street WC1H

February 24 (Thursday) 7-8:30pm
HAMPSTEAD TOWN HALL CENTRE
213 Haverstock Hill
Belsize Park, NW3 4QP