The Rubin Museum of Art (NYC) is organizing an international conference “The Tenth Karmapa and Tibet’s Turbulent 17th Century” (November 9-11, 2012).

The Tenth Karmapa Choying Dorje (1604–1674) was not only leader of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism but also famous as one of the most original and eccentric figures in the history of Tibetan art. His life is well documented in Tibetan sources, which provide an alternative historical narrative of the tumultuous seventeenth century, as well as a new prospective on Tibetan art history.

We have invited thirteen accomplished scholars in the field to present on different aspects of Choying Dorje’s life and the turbulent times in which he lived, including: artistic production, sectarian landscapes, rise of the Dalai Lamas, poetry, hagiographic traditions, and living oral memory.

A schedule and registration information can be found at: www.rmanyc.org/karmapa

In conjunction Columbia University is organizing a workshop “Institutional landscapes and intellectual codifications in the long 17th century.”