The Mandala Healing Arts Project

The Mandala Healing Arts project at Keller-Rihn Studio in the Blue Star Arts Complex is proud to announce a Women’s Month Celebration March 6-8, 2015. The Healing Arts Project is supported by the San Antonio Department for Cultural and Creative Developmentʼs new StART Program. The StART Program is designed to support innovative art projects created by individual artists for the benefit of the community. For the Mandala Healing Arts Project, a group has been meeting at Keller-Rihn Studio every Saturday, 1-5 p.m. to create art with the purpose of individual and community healing.

First Friday, March 6, there will be an exhibit in Keller-Rihn Studio opening from 5:30-10:00 p.m. featuring artwork by the participants including mandalas, weavings, drawings, sculpture and paintings. The exhibit will continue March 7th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will culminate in an art installation in and beside the San Antonio River behind the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) office for International Women’s Day, March 8th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The installation will feature illuminated photographs of mandalas floating in the river on inner-tubes. Each mandala was made with a specific, healing intention. A film made by Erik Bosse depicting healing rituals created by participants will be projected on the river walk walls across from the San Antonio River Authority office at 100 East Guenther Street, San Antonio, TX 78204. At 6:00 p.m. there will be a blessing by Ramon Vasquez y Sanchez, Coahuiltecan Indian chief followed by drumming and special songs of healing by musicians and drummers from American Indians in Texas (AIT). At 7:00 p.m. there will be a Bharatanatyam dance performance. Bharatanatyam is a sacred dance from India. Floating mandalas will be launched at 7:30 p.m. to sacred chants led by Rick Henderson of Shantikar Kirtan Performance Group. Kirtan is devotional music from India.

Participants in the project will be wearing white and will conduct a healing ritual. Community members are also invited to wear white and participate in a community ritual that includes burning emotional pains and releasing healing intentions symbolized by flowers into the river.

Artist/arts organizer, Deborah Keller-Rihn, writer/film maker, Erik Bosse, artist/arts educator, Susan Oaks and writer/ritualist Laurie Dietrich have functioned as the core members of the healing team. Ramin Samandari has been an invaluable resource for photography and Lauri Garcia Jones and Justin Schneider have assisted with graphics and social media outreach. Guest artists and presenters include Joann Tilton, Chui Hiu Li and Dr. Sreedhara, A.R. All artists involved in this project have worked with many different arts organizations in various capacities and are committed to their own personal and artistic growth as well as to helping others people with theirs. Parking for the March 8th event is available at Blue Star Arts Complex, in the SARA parking lot or along Guenther Street. You are cordially invited to attend.