Abstract
This paper draws from my forthcoming Fulbright project in Bhutan, which explores how visual culture can serve as an advocate for community, ecology, and ethical education. Rooted in the Bhutanese philosophy of Gross National Happiness, the project integrates visual arts, cultural heritage, and humanities through teaching, collaborative workshops, and community-based artmaking at the Royal University of Bhutan. The work investigates how images—especially those emerging from shared making and natural materials—shape cultural conversations about sustainability, spirituality, and identity. By engaging students and local artisans in participatory projects that combine traditional Himalayan dye practices with contemporary visual languages, the project positions image-making as both an aesthetic and social act. These collaborative works aim to bridge local and global perspectives, revealing how visual forms can express interdependence and resilience in a rapidly changing world. The paper shares process documentation, pedagogical methods, and early creative outcomes from this cross-cultural exchange. It argues that the image, when grounded in dialogue and mutual creation, can become an advocate—not through persuasion but through presence. By situating the visual within lived community contexts, this project reimagines art as a public practice of listening, witnessing, and collective transformation.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2026 Special Focus—The Image as Advocate: Shaping Cultural Conversations
KEYWORDS
Visual culture, Advocacy, Bhutan, Community-based art, Ecological ethics, Cultural sustainability
