'Economic' And 'Art' Update: Gross Domestic Product Exceeds Gross National Happiness

"East of Mount Everest and bordered by India and Tibet, Bhutan is a remote and mystical kingdom, considered by many as “The Last Shangri-La.” A sovereign nation that has maintained its cultural, artistic, and religious traditions intact, it is one of the few countries in Asia never colonized by its neighbors or Western powers.

The first exhibition of its kind, The Dragon's Gift [at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco] provides an exceptionally rare opportunity to view some of the most sacred and beloved Buddhist arts in Bhutan.

Many of the 150 objects – intricate paintings, sculptures, textiles, and more – are still used in temple and monastery rituals and never have been accessible to a Western audience.

All are on public view for the first time." ...

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Gross Domestic Product

Gross National Happiness

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Credits: (c) Toles and the Washington Post. 2009. All rights reserved. (c) cnnfn.com. 2009. (c) Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. 2009. All rights reserved. (c) Ken Howard and Opera America. 2008. Copyright controlled.

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Tony Boutté as Arjuna in Music-Theatre Group’s production of Douglas Cuomo’s Arjuna’s Dilemma, directed by Robin Guarino with choreography by John Kelly and design by Donald Eastman (scenery), Gabriel Berry (costumes), Robert Wierzel (lighting) and William Cusick (projections). World premiere production presented as part of Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 2008 Next Wave Festival. Photo (c) Stephanie Berger. Copyright controlled.

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Refreshing the Repertory