India: Himalayan Buddhist Art and Architecture (INA) Program Links - 1 3953
Contact Us
Phone:
802.258.3212
Toll Free Within the US: 888.272.7881
TTY:
802.258.3388
Fax:
802.258.3296
Kipling Road, P.O. Box 676,
Brattleboro, Vermont USA 05302-0676
India: Himalayan Buddhist Art and Architecture
Faculty and Staff
Mary Storm, Academic Director
Mary Storm has a Ph.D. in Indian Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.A. in East Asian Studies, Japanese Buddhist Art, from Stanford University. In a previous life she acquired a law degree with a specialty in international jurisdiction. Dr. Storm has lived and worked in India for many years, roaming the back roads of India from West Bengal to Rajasthan and from Ladakh to Tamil Nadu in search of archaeological adventure.
She has taught at various American institutions, and most recently at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, where she was a Ford Foundation Visiting Fellow and Associate Professor of Art History. When not teaching, researching, or working for SIT, she spends her time restoring a former Maharaja's dilapidated hunting lodge located next to Sariska Tiger Sanctuary. Sometimes she gets the urge to paint, and is proud to report that her watercolor paintings are exhibited on refrigerator doors throughout the world. She has published numerous articles on Indian art history.
Program Advice: Making the Most of Your SIT Study Abroad Learning Experience
The program Mantra: Patience, Flexibility, Humor and Compassion
The Himalayan Buddhist Art and Architecture summer program provides an extraordinary opportunity to experience and learn more about Himalayan culture as seen through an art historical lens; more than would ever be possible from a conventional classroom setting.
Without a doubt the program will be intellectually, physically and emotionally arduous – it also promises to be well worth the challenge. High altitude, cold weather, trekking, camping, limited food choices, and traveling over rough terrain are exhilarating, but also tiring and distracting. The physical challenges are balanced, however, by the chance to see the most beautiful scenery on the planet and the opportunity for the experiential study of Vajrayana Buddhist art and architecture.
We ask you to mindfully reflect about what "arduous" means and to assess yourself for stamina, patience, flexibility, curiosity and a sense of humor. Pre-departure preparation and the willingness to engage with the program content (which is most easily achieved by spending substantial time unplugged from headphones, the Internet and cell phones) are strongly encouraged.
What you choose to put into this program will determine how much you will get out of it. This can be a transforming experience, which will bring critical academic insights and fulfilling personal growth.
Mary Storm, PhD
Academic Director