Program Overview
A collaboration between Pratt and Global Learning Across Borders with support from the Rubin Museum of Art
We live in an extraordinary time. Never before have so many of the world's cultures from each corner of the globe been so accessible. But with the privilege of knowledge comes greater responsibility. At the same time, there has never been a more important moment to explore and learn beyond our cultural and political borders and boundaries.
This study abroad program is designed to address this issue by cultivating a genuine appreciation for the increasingly interconnected and interdependent nature of our world community, both human and natural. Global Learning Across Borders (Global LAB) has collaborated with Pratt to develop the Artistic Traditions of Amdo, a program that will carry students and teachers on a forty-day pilgrimage over the Tibetan plateau and to the northeast grassland region of Tibet where we will visit and study with many of the finest masters who are responsible for keeping this region's rich artistic heritage alive and well.
After a brief stay in Lhasa, the ancient Tibetan capital, we’ll continue to the cultural center of Amdo, the town of Repkong, where we will enter into home stays and begin intensive studies with individual artists. Students will be given the option to study in one of the following media: /thanka/ (scroll) painting, stone carving, jewelry making, woodcarving and printing, as well as textile weaving and design. Excursions to cultural sites as well as participation in local festivals will supplement these studies. The program concludes with a train ride across China to Beijing, including a tour of the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Great Wall.
This program is offered for graduate and undergraduate credit through Pratt’s Fine Arts department and also for non-credit. Please contact your department chair for approval and information.