Mandala

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Buddhist sand mandala

Mandala (Sanskrit: मण्डल maṇḍala "essence" + "having" or "containing", also translates as "circle-circumference" or "completion"; Tibetan: ; Wylie: dkyil 'khor or dkyil-vkhor; Chinese:; pinyin: Mandara; Korean: ; Vietnamese: Mạn-đà-la; Japanese:  Mandara), is a concentric diagram having spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism. The term is of Hindu origin and appears in the Rig Veda as the name of the sections of the work, but is also used in other Indian religions, particularly Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, mandalas have been developed into sandpainting. They are also a key part of anuttarayoga tantra meditation practices.

In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of aspirants and adepts, as a spiritual teaching tool, for establishing a sacred space, and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. According to David Fontana, its symbolic nature can help one "to access progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the ultimate unity from which the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises." The psychoanalyst Carl Jung saw the mandala as "a representation of the unconscious self," and believed his paintings of mandalas enabled him to identify emotional disorders and work towards wholeness in personality.^[4]

In common use, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the Universe from the human perspective.        

The Brazosport Art League will host a 2-day event on March 13-14, 2010. This class will be special. If you would love to show off you own home-made Bling! Bling! this is the class for you! Two Art League members, Patricia Williams and Nancy Yarbrough, will team up to teach the basics in creating small pieces of fused glass jewelry. The class will be at the art league studio in The Center for the Arts and Sciences, 400 College Drive in Clute. The time Saturday will be 9:30a.m.-2:30p.m. Sunday hours will be 1-3 p.m.

This class will be for beginners in fusing glass. Saturday, March 13 will be spent learning the basics of fused glass, cutting, and assembling glass for firing in a kiln. The participants will assemble and load kilns for firing. After the items are cool enough the class members will glue or wire wrap their items to create pendants and earring sets. This will continue on Sunday so that each participant has an opportunity to successfully complete their jewelry and have it ready to take home on Sunday.

The class fee is $25 for non-art league members and $15 for members. However, there is an added $20 fee for all participants to pay for a glass kit and handouts used during the class. After the first firing and completing their first project, the participants will have an opportunity to branch out to the next level of fusing and learn wire wrapping for jewelry. Additional kits, glass and jewelry items will be available for sale at the class.

Patricia Williams is a native of south Texas. She took a class in fused glass jewelry three tears ago and has been hooked on it ever since. She sells her jewelry in the Center Art Gallery. She also enjoys making mosaics and pottery. She has taught pottery classes at the studio also.

Nancy Yarbrough’s attraction to this art form started 30 years ago in stained glass. She was drawn to the manner in which glass plays with light. When she worked with glass fusing techniques, a new passion for the medium of glass emerged. Nancy is "enthralled with glass’s unlimited potential and finds both joy and challenge working with glass to create both functional and visual pieces".

Participants need to bring glass cutters (hardware store or Hobby Lobby has them) and safety goggles. Class members may also bring jewelry findings (bails, earring studs and wires) and wire wrapping tools to use.

The class number is limited. To register, call Duane Alcorn at (979) 265-0777 or e-mail him at duanealcorn@yahoo.com.