(Above: Dream Mandala by Sandi O’Brien)

Edited by Randi Bjornstad

Special show for June

“Mandala” is the Sanskrit word for “circle,” and the physical manifestation by that name long has been incorporated in meditation as well as Hindu and Buddhist rites.

Emerald Art Center announces a show called MANDALA: A Transformative Journey, which will be on display at the center through June. The exhibit consists of 16 mandalas created by six women.

Three of the pieces follow traditional designs taught by LiDoña Wagner, who learned the art from earlier instructors. A student of Wagner’s, Sandi O’Brien, has put together the rest of the collection, with creations by Saue Teutschel, Pam Horn, Janet Nelson, Laura Taylor, and Carol Jeffers.

These works each took from 18 months to four years to create, melding the physical process with self-exploration that involvesmeditation, writing, and personal interaction.

O’Brien created the oldest of the mandalas, starting in 2000, and she has taught several mandala classes.

The traditional Tibetan Buddhist concept of the mandala begins with a squared circle in the center, surrounded by concentric circles, each with its own meaning. Mandalas can be categorized in groups, and in this show they fall into “dream mandalas” and “heroine’s journey” themes.

Dream mandalas are based on the artist’s dreams, interpreted through a specific period of time. The heroine mandalas reflect the 10 stages of a woman’s life, as delineated in a book titled The Heroine’s Journey: A Woman’s Quest for Wholeness, by Maureen Murdock.

For more information, contact O’Brien at sandi2meo@gmail.com

Additional exhibits

Art by two featured members of the Emerald Art Center also is on display, including:

  • Christine Gherardi — Past Lives, Parallel Worlds, A Well Watched Movie, and Incredible Stories rendered in various mediums, and
  • Sarah Bloom Kinser — Creator of My Own Sunshine, in watercolor and acrylic.

New work by other members of the center also is on show.

Emerald Art Center

When: Through June 30, 2023

Where: Emerald Art Center, 500 Main St., Springfield

Gallery hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday plus 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the second Friday of the month, June 9

The Story Pot, by Christine Gherardi