Organised by the Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts, part of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO SPAFA), a workshop entitled 'Buddhist Art in Southeast Asia' will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, on 12-15 November. The workshop is held in the framework of SEAMEO SPAFA's 'Sacred Universe' Flagship Programme, which aims to promote a better understanding of spiritual/religious arts in Southeast Asia, through a series of regional workshops from 2012 to 2016 on the spiritual arts of the ASEAN region. In particular, objectives of the workshop include the following:

• To advance cross-cultural understanding and mutual knowledge among Southeast Asian participants.
• To introduce participants to fundamental knowledge on Buddhist Art, which will further their knowledge and appreciation, as well as skills in managing Buddhist artifacts and collections, and in disseminating knowledge on Buddhist art.
• To promote dialogue between workshop participants, which will create a platform for future regional collaboration.

The workshop 'Buddhist Art in Southeast Asia' aims to involve 22 non-Buddhist museum curators, heritage managers, art teachers and cultural practitioners from 11 SEAMEO member countries, as well as 15 paying participants.

The 4-day intensive workshop will include lectures, study visits, group activities and hands-on sessions, which will enhance the participants’ understanding of Buddhist Art. They will study the different branches of Buddhism such as Theravada and Mahayana. Site visits to stupas and temples will be arranged to analyse the architecture and its symbolism. The Buddha’s images, mural paintings and iconography will also be covered, as well as the different art styles between neighbouring countries like Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. There will be lectures and discussions/ presentations to conclude and evaluate the subjects taught per session.

For additional information about the workshop 'Buddhist Art in Southeast Asia', visit http://www.seameo-spafa.org/fine_art_detail.php?tid=407