Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art

Jacques Marchais
Museum of Tibetan Art
Established 1947
Location 338 Lighthouse Ave, Staten Island, New York, United States
Website Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art

The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, located on residential Lighthouse Hill in the Egbertville neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City, United States, is home to one of the United States' most extensive collections of Himalayan artifacts.[1] The museum was created by Jacques Marchais, (1887-1948) an American woman, to serve as a bridge between the West and the rich ancient and cultural traditions of Tibet and the Himalayan region.[2] Marchais designed her educational center to be an all-encompassing experience: it was built to resemble a rustic Himalayan monastery with extensive terraced gardens and grounds and a fish and lotus pond.[3] The museum was praised for its authenticity by the Dalai Lama who visited in 1991.[4] In 2009, the site was listed on the New York State Register and National Register of Historic Places. A writer in the New York Times referred to the museum's founder under the name Jacqueline Klauber, noting that she used Marchais as her professional name.[4]

Marchais had never visited Tibet or the Himalayas, but she had a lifelong interest in the region and sought to find a permanent home for her collection. The museum officially opened in 1947.[5] The museum, its collection and its history in Staten Island has been chronicled in a book by the same name[6] and 60th anniversary exhibition.[7]

The museum has not been able to benefit from the Department of Transportation's initiative to draw traffic to the borough's cultural organizations via a new signage program because it lacks a dedicated parking lot[8] and as such it remains somewhat hidden among New York City's cultural organizations.[3] Bicycling clubs, however, having easier parking, make it a destination.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Stephanie Slepian (2008-03-02). "Where are all the Jobs? Non-Profits". The Staten Island Advance. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  2. ↑ Sarah Johnson (May 2007). "From Staten Island to Shangri-La: The Collecting Life of Jacques Marchais". Orientations. Archived from the original on 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  3. 1 2 Tim Heffernan (2005-12-20). "Close-Up on Egbertville, Staten Island". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  4. 1 2 Claire Wilson (2001-08-17). "On an Island That's Worth Remembering". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  5. ↑ Edward Wong (1998-06-21). "Desperately Seeking Solitude; Prayer Flags Aflutter at a Tibetan Outpost". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  6. ↑ "Treasures of Tibetan Art: Collections of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art". The Journal of the American Oriental Society. 2000-07-01.
  7. ↑ Grace Lichtenstein (2007-08-26). "Boroughing into Staten Island". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  8. ↑ Maura Yates (2008-03-01). "Sandy Ground Museum Easier to Find Thanks to New Highway Signs". The Staten Island Advance. Retrieved 2008-03-30.

Coordinates: 40°34′34.73″N 74°8′18.05″W / 40.5763139°N 74.1383472°W / 40.5763139; -74.1383472

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