Tibetan Political Activist and Painter of Sacred Images to Speak at U of A

Russell Avery

Karma Sichoe, a traditionally trained Tibetan painter of sacred images and a long-time political activist, will visit the University of Arkansas from April 11-14 and participate in two events that are free and open to the public. 

The first, titled "Art & Literature in Post-Conflict Societies: A Panel Discussion on the Tibetan Community in Exile," will take place on Tuesday, April 12, at 4 p.m. in Kimpel Hall 105. Joining Sichoe will be panel members including professor, Honors Program director and Tibetans in Exile (TEXT) Program director Sidney Burris, instructor and TEXT co-director Geshe Thupten Dorjee, and documentary filmmaker and Journalism graduate student Craig Pasquinzo, all from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. 

The second event, titled "Resistance & Identity in the Exiled Community: An Evening for Students with Karma Sichoe, Tibetan Painter & Activist," will take place on Wednesday, April 13, at 6 p.m. in the Honors Student Lounge (Gearhart Hall 130). Food will be provided.

Both free events will begin with a screening of a 10-minute documentary dedicated to Sichoe's life and work.

"Karma has led a truly extraordinary life," said Burris, who helped bring Sichoe to Fayetteville. "His visit here offers our community the chance to interact with one of the leaders of the Tibetan community in exile. It's a rare and exciting opportunity."

Orphaned early in life, Sichoe was raised in the Tibetan Children's Village, a school system founded in India by Jetsun Pema, the sister of the Dalai Lama. Sichoe showed artistic inclinations at a young age, and ultimately completed his apprenticeship with two highly regarded Tibetan masters of sacred painting – or thangka – Rinzin Peljor and Tashe Dorjee. 

Sichoe, who lives in Dharamsala, India, the home of the Dalai Lama, also became active in the Tibetan struggle for independence. He was a founding member of Students for a Free Tibet in India and was one of six participants in the 1998 hunger-strike for Tibetan independence in New Delhi.

"His hunger strike endured for 47 days before he was finally taken to an Indian hospital where he was fed intravenously and recovered," Burris said.

Additionally, Burris said Sichoe has expanded his artistic interests to include more self-expressive forms inspired by Western artists, such as Van Gogh, and to work in the collage form. Along with his wife, Sichoe also established Dolls4Tibet, a community-based project in Dharamsala that hand-crafts dolls for Tibetan children, while providing employment for Tibetan women.

Sichoe's visit is supported by the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Fulbright College Honors Program, the University of Arkansas Honors College, and the Religious Studies Program.

For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/karmasichoeua.

For more information, please contact Burris at sburris@uark.edu or call (479) 575-2509.

About the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with 19 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former university president and longtime U.S. senator.