TIBET HOUSE U.S. ANNOUNCES SIXTH ANNUAL BENEFIT AUCTION

December 1st, 2008 – Christie’s Auction House

New York, NY-July 14^th, 2008 –Tibet House U.S. is proud to announce its sixth annual benefit auction to be held on December 1st, 2008 at Christie’s Auction House in New York City. Aimed at promoting and preserving Tibetan culture, the organization serves to expose the civilization’s profound wisdom, beauty, and special art of freedom to the people of the world, providing inspiration for others to join the effort to protect and continue these customs.

As with their past benefit auctions, the proceeds from this years event will be divided to both support many of the important projects and programs spawned by the Tibet House in their mission of displaying and maintaining the ancient traditions of the Tibetan civilization, while also providing a donation to other organizations with like-minded initiatives. This year Tibet House has pledged to give a portion of the proceeds to three organizations. Ghar Sita Mutu (House with a Heart) is a home for abandoned children, a training center for destitute women, and an outreach program for needy families in Nepal. Another portion of the proceeds will go to the Pema Ts'al schools in India and Nepal. These schools provide a place where Tibetan children can study the Buddhist teachings as well as a comprehensive Western curriculum. The schools also accept blind students from Mustang and the exiled Tibetan community, who are educated using the newly invented system of Tibetan Braille. They will also continue to give a portion of the proceeds to the Tibetan Community Cultural Center being built in Queens, New York, by the Tibetan Community of New York and New Jersey.

Items to be auctioned in this year’s event include: original art pieces from Donald Baechler and Pat Steir; an exotic Geographic Expeditions adventure for two to Asia; lunch at a world-class restaurant with Uma and Bob Thurman; a trip to Thailand with accommodations at the beautiful Trisara resort; a fashion shoot extravaganza with a top model and photographer; a fabulous vacation to India and Bhutan, staying at the Taj Hotels; a $20K shopping spree at Donna Karan; and a walk-on-part on a major motion picture, as well as many other exceptional and rare treasures. 

Dr. Hugo Weihe, Christie’s Senior Vice President, will serve as auctioneer for the crowd of 500-600 distinguished guests at the December 1st event, while this year’s Honorary Chair Committee includes Christy Turlington Burns & Ed Burns, Sharon Gannon & David Life, Donna Karan, Yoko Ono Lennon, Petra Nemcova, Martin Scorsese, Kiran Stordalen & Horst Rechelbacker, Trudie Styler & Sting, Uma Thurman, Fortuna Valentino, and Arden Wohl.

Details:

What – Tibet House U.S.’s 6^th Annual Benefit Auction

When – Monday, December 1st

Where – Christie’s Auction House (20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020)

About Tibet House U.S.:

Established in 1987 under the auspices of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibet House is a non-profit educational institution and cultural embassy working to preserve, restore and present Tibet's unique cultural and spiritual heritage by means of a permanent cultural center, with gallery, library, and archives, and developing traveling exhibitions, print publications and media productions.  Additionally they seek to share with the world Tibet's practical systems of spiritual philosophy and mind sciences, and its arts of human development, intercultural dialogues, nonviolence, and peacemaking, by means of innovative programs in cooperation with educational and other cultural institutions.

Their New York City center is comprised of 7,000 square feet including gallery space, Tibetan Buddhist shrine, photographic archives, a lending library of over 1,000 volumes, and staff offices. In keeping with their mission as a cultural embassy, Tibet House U.S. develops and presents innovative educational and cultural programs for the general public. It serves as a central meeting place for the local Tibetan community to hold programs and events.