Tibetan monks finish off weeklong residence at College of DuPage

Each day, three Tibetan monks painstakingly hovered over their evolving art piece, pouring granule after granule of sand onto a black board.

Over the past week, visitors to the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage campus could watch their creation evolve. First the outlines of the circular "mandala" were covered, then sections of colorful sand were filled into the intricate design, section by section.

On Saturday, the monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery wiped their creation away during an afternoon closing ceremony at the Glen Ellyn campus. Grains were given away to those in attendance as a blessing.

As Tenzin Phentok, one of the monks of the group, explained, the dismantling of the display was meant to symbolize the transient nature of our own lives.

"I'm sorry to see it wiped away," said Jill Selvaggi, who watched the evolving display take shape over the week. "They put so much work into it."

Selvaggi spent the week bringing members of Girl Scout Troop 1015 from Arborview Elementary School in Glen Ellyn to the arts center daily to work on their group's own sand painting. Scout members were on hand Saturday to watch the final ceremony. Members of the monastery, which is affiliated with Emory University in Atlanta, tour the country in an effort to promote awareness of Tibetan culture. Photos of Tibetan life were hung on the lobby's walls, and the group spent Friday evening performing at the arts center.

"Part of the mission of this place is to introduce the community to different cultures and art forms," said Stephen Cummins, director of the McAninch Arts Center.

Mark Kinsman of Glen Ellyn came Saturday armed with his camera to document the group's closing ceremony. Once a member of a Tibetan Buddhist Society in Chicago, Kinsman said he's been fascinated with the culture for years.

"Today was an opportunity to see these monks in person," Kinsman said. "I'm not going to Tibet anytime soon, so this is as close as I'll get to personally coming in contact with the culture."