Skip to Content
All MassArt news

Sand Mandala Helps Staff, Students Spread Compassion

Person working with sand.
The Venerable Tenzin Yignyen created his 17th Mandala at MassArt.
  • MassArt in the Media
  • Justice, Equity, and Transformation

In a Boston Globe feature on MassArt’s annual Sand Mandala event with the Venerable Tenzin Yignyen, our community shares their reflections:

Lyssa Palu-ay, MassArt’s dean of justice, equality, and transformation, says the student body is receptive to the Tibetan cultural perspective in his artwork.

“I think they’re most surprised about his attention to detail, his focus, his extreme attention to craft, and how something so beautiful can, as part of the process, be swept away,” she says.

“Most students are taught just the opposite.

“I focus a lot on making pieces that will last … for generations,’’ says Lindsay Labadorf, an art student.

“I think that’s a really beautiful way to look at art as something that we can enjoy in the moment, but it’s not always going to be here.”

“…I learned to be happy and be yourself and not be frustrated, says senior Riley Setterlund. “I share the same belief that there’s no permanence in anything as much as we try to hold it. … We just have to live life and accept it.”

Share

More News

  • MassArt in the Media
Designs by a MassArt student will be featured on 250 limited-edition Blue Bikes launching across Boston this summer as part of the city’s Boston 250 celebration.
Boston.gov (opens in new tab)
  • Alumni in the News
  • MassArt in the Media
In a new essay for The Drum, MassArt alumnus Brian Collins revisits themes from his 2025 MassArt Commencement address, arguing that artists and designers are uniquely equipped to imagine and build the future in uncertain times.
The Drum (opens in new tab)
  • MassArt in the Media
  • Academic Affairs
Peter Wolf receives an honorary degree from Massachusetts College of Art and Design at the 2026 Commencement ceremony honoring his contributions to music and visual art.
Boston Globe (opens in new tab)
  • MassArt in the Media
  • Integrative Sciences and Biological Arts
7 News spotlighted MassArt students’ designs of enrichment toys for animals at Franklin Park Zoo, part of a longstanding partnership with Handshouse Studio.
7 News WHDH (opens in new tab)
  • MassArt in the Media
  • Photography
Two BFA ‘26 students have earned national recognition through the 2026 Alexia Grants, with Daniel Holt named a student recipient and Aubree Guilbault recognized as a student runner-up.
Syracuse University Newhouse School (opens in new tab)
  • MassArt in the Media
  • MassArt Art Museum
Artist Masako Miki takes viewers inside an immersive world of yōkai-inspired creatures, reimagining Japanese folklore through play, transformation, and connection in a segment on her exhibition at the MassArt Art Museum.
PBS NewsHour (opens in new tab)
  • MassArt in the Media
A Massachusetts Department of Transportation billboard design contest winner, MassArt student Renée Beauchaine brings creativity to work zone safety messaging, with designs set to appear on billboards statewide.
WWLP-22News (opens in new tab)
  • MassArt in the Media
  • MassArt Art Museum
Now on GBH News, hear from artist Masako Miki in a segment on the MassArt Art Museum exhibition "Masako Miki: Midnight March."
GBH News (opens in new tab)
  • Campus News
  • MassArt in the Media
The state Department of Higher Education announced that its innovation hub is awarding $20,000 grants to three public colleges — including MassArt — to develop co-op programs with employers in the region.
The Boston Globe (opens in new tab)
  • Campus News
  • MassArt in the Media
MassArt is among three state universities launching cooperative education programs for students this fall with funding from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.
MassLive (opens in new tab)
  • Campus News
  • MassArt in the Media
MassArt joins an initiative out of the Department of Higher Education’s Innovation Hub to grow co-ops for students at state’s public campuses
Mass.gov (opens in new tab)
  • MassArt in the Media
  • MFA Photography
MassArt’s MFA Photography program is featured in Lenscratch’s “In Focus: The MFA Review,” highlighting its rigorous, interdisciplinary approach, supportive graduate community, and the innovative work of its students, faculty, and alumni.
Lenscratch (opens in new tab)
MassArt logo
621 Huntington Ave,
Boston, MA 02115

(617) 879-7000