At a Glance Upcoming events and deals
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The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace (中文) (Tiếng Việt) will be touring in Seattle August 21 – 29. The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace is the largest Buddha carved from gemstone quality jade. The Jade Buddha can be seen at the Vietnamese Co Lam Temple, 3503 S. Graham St, Seattle, 98118. (Map)
The goal of the tour is to promote interfaith harmony and universal peace for all beings. The organizers and sponsors of the tour hope that the Buddha’s presence will inspire everyone who sees it to find peace in their home, their school and work, their family, and in their own heart.
The Universal Peace Tour
The Jade Buddha is on a world tour which will take it to Asia, Australia, North America and Europe. The Universal Peace Tour commenced in 2009 in Vietnam and then traveled to Australia. The Buddha is currently on tour in the U.S., followed by tours in Canada, Germany, England, and other European cities before returning to Asia in 2012. Eventually the Jade Buddha will go to its home at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. There, the Jade Buddha will be a symbol of peace to inspire the world for millennia to come. (A Stupa is the most sacred type of monument in the Buddhist world.)
The Jade Buddha
The Jade Buddha is a great international achievement. The Buddha is carved from the largest boulder ever found of gem quality polar jade. The project became possible in 2000 with the discovery of the 19.8 ton boulder. The Jade Buddha project commenced in early 2003. The prototype for the Buddha, based on the famous Buddha from Bodh Gaya, India was designed by an Australian and a Thai sculptor, then carved by skilled craftsmen in Thailand. The face was painted by a master painter from Nepal. The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace was consecrated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on December 1, 2009 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Australia.
The Jade Buddha weighs about 4 tons and sits 8 feet high on an alabaster throne that is about 4-1/2 feet high. The Jade Buddha is currently valued at $5 million AUD (about $4.5 million USD).
Jade Buddha Fact Sheet
Jade Buddha brochure
About Polar Jade
In the late 1990s a remarkable new find of jade was discovered just south of the Yukon border in Canada. It contained stone so green, clear and vibrant that it was unlike any other jade ever found. Inspired by its surroundings it became known as “Polar Jade”, a translucent Nephrite jade. Polar Jade has been scientifically determined to be harder than any other variety of Nephrite jade. It shines to a brilliant polish and is prized as a gem for precious jewelry and for carving fine art. Polar Jade was always in very limited supply and is now considered to be unavailable.
The discovery of the immense jade boulder in 2000 was dubbed “the find of the millennium”. In the book “Jade” by Fred Ward, internationally known author and gemologist, he writes about Polar Jade:
“Without doubt, this is the largest piece of gem grade jade found in my lifetime and perhaps the millennium. Without going into too much in the geological formation, it is a very, very rare occurrence.”
Seattle will soon be home to one of the most unique gardens and cultural centers in the county. The 4.6-acre Seattle Chinese Garden will be one of the largest Chinese gardens outside of China, showcasing not only plants, but also stone, architecture and water elements that are customary to Chinese gardens. The Garden will also feature 12 buildings, including an education center and a banquet hall with special event seating for up to 200 people. The Garden is being built in phases. Some site work has been done and next will be construction of the “Knowing the Spring Courtyard”, the second traditional structure in the Garden. Completion of the Courtyard is expected by end of 2010. Components for this courtyard will be fabricated in Chongqing, and assembly performed by Chinese artisans from Chongqing and local Seattle contractors.
Seattle Chinese Garden is hosting an Artisan Welcome Party Sunday, August 22 from 1–4 pm to celebrate the arrival of the Chinese artisans and welcome them to Seattle at a fun, festive, community event! You will get to see Courtyard Progress and the Garden Site and have the opportunity to talk with the Artisans (translators on hand) who are constructing the Garden. The public is invited to this free community event. There is a suggested donation of $5. The festivities include:
Lion Dance (1:40 pm)
Martial Arts by Tony Au International
Chinese Children’s Dances by the Melody Institute
Chinese Arts Demonstrations
Kite Flying and Family Activities
Directions: Drive into the north entrance to South Seattle Community College, 6000 16th Ave. SW (map). The college arboretum is on your left.
Parking: Continue driving straight ahead past the one-story building on your left (the Chan Education Center). Turn left into the entrance to a small parking lot for the Landscape Horticulture Building (LHO) and the Chan Center. Look for Chinese Garden signs directing you to an LHO classroom. If this parking lot is full, park in the large lot to the south.
About the Artisans
Feng Dacheng, lead designer from Chongqing, and Song Weizhong, chief architect and project manager for the Changshu Ancient Style Garden Construction Company, will guide courtyard construction. Local partners are construction firm Krekow Jennings and Jones and Jones Architecture.
Yangming Chu is the Garden Society’s project director. An expert on Chinese art history and architecture, Chu oversaw the first stage of courtyard construction in 2008, the building of the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden in 1998, and the Ming Courtyard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) has more than 30 years of activity and involvement in protecting native plants. The small group of individuals who assembled at the Pacific Science Center in 1976 has now grown to nearly 1800 members with eleven active chapters throughout Washington.
To join the WPNS, use the membership form. The form may printed and mailed with your dues check, or submitted online (see the form for payment options, including online credit card payments).
Membership benefits include Field trips to admire, study and photograph wildflowers and plant communities. There are also volunteer opportunities to help restore habitats, conduct native plant inventories, and monitor rare plant populations, and much more.
The Seattle Century is a fully supported catered bike tour about Seattle. Spend a day exploring, eating and riding – a day that will leave you refreshed with a renewed love of Seattle. The morning starts off with a continental breakfast of bagels, hard-boiled eggs, fresh fruit, delicious coffee, granola and more. You’ll ride through some of Seattle’s most scenic areas on quiet rural roads, along well-marked routes and through the gorgeous fringes of our magnificent city. You’ll snack and eat lunch at rest stops along the way. The finish line features a gourmet meal with a free beer garden as you relax after a rewarding day. The event begins at Magnuson Park, 7400 Sandpoint Way NE. There is ample free parking on site.
Save $20 when you register online before Thursday, July 29. Day-of-ride is $80, register online by July 29 and pay just $60.
Save $10 on online registration when you pick up your coupon at partner locations: all Puget Sound REI locations and Gregg’s Cycles. Coupons are available until the end of retail hours on July 25th.
Children 10 years old and under are only $10 (when registering online or at the event).
DAY OF EVENT: $80 SPACE ALLOWING. Ride is limited to 2,000 participants. Advance registration is encouraged. If the event sells out, check the news box on the front page of the website.
Volunteers ride free, see the volunteer page for details.
Did you know that you can walk from Seattle to Snoqualmie? Join artists for Susan Robb and Stokley Towles for “The Long Walk”–a two-day walk on the King County Regional Trail. Starting in Seattle on Friday July 23 and ending at Snoqualmie Falls on Sunday July 25, this is an opportunity for a 35+ mile adventure in “your big backyard.”
“An unscripted encounter with a place we think we already know,” as Susan describes, she and Stokley invite you to help form their band of “trail tramps,” a culture that will evolve as the group walks through urban and rural neighborhoods, camps in unlikely places, swims in the Tolt River and watches art films under the stars.
A support van will carry camping gear and related items, freeing the group to experience the trails and the art. Thanks to Caffe Vita, a generous sponsor of the event, some meals will be provided.
RSVP is required by July 5, as is attendance at a short (but necessary) informational meeting on July 7 at 4Culture.
Experience what life would be like to live downtown at the Market Foundation’s Spaces for Urban Living: Downtown Home Tour. Homes in the self-guided walking tour are selected because of architectural or interior design interest, including art, use of space, and the ways that the homes reflect the personalities of the residents. From funky to chic, all the homes are distinctive.
The 2010 tour features homes in buildings located within walking distance of the Pike Place Market, including Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue, The Watermark, The Grand Pacific and the Market’s Livingston Baker Building.
Purchase tickets online by Friday, June 25th (by 1pm) to receive the Early Bird discount. Cost of advance tickets: $25.
4Culture offers a cell phone audio tour featuring public artwork in Seattle’s downtown core with downloadable map and audio.
4Culture is the cultural services agency for King County, Washington and provides programs, financial support and services in the arts, public art, heritage and historic preservation for all residents and visitors in King County.
Free weekend walks led by experienced, trained, knowledgeable and engaging docents at the Washington Park Arboretum, Graham Visitors Center, 2300 Arboretum Dr. East Seattle, WA 98112. Two different tours are offered on alternating weekends.
11 am tours of each month are themed tours that focus on a specifc topic. Past topics have included new gardens, evergreens, azaleas, hydrangeas and magnolias.
1 pm walks are based on the whims and interests of our knowledgeable and engaging Garden Guides. You could see one of our major collections like oaks or maples, visit flowers of the season or perhaps you’ll stroll through our wetlands learning about restoration and aquatic wildlife. You won’t know unless you show!
For dates and topics, visit the Arboretum calendar.
Family Adventure Packs are backpacks supplied with field guides, scavenger hunts, magnifying lenses and activity ideas for children in grades K-6. Family Adventure Packs are for groups of up to 5 persons for a $7 rental fee for two hours. To reserve a Family Pack, call (206)543-8801 or email uwbgeduc@u.washington.edu
Wetland Wonders: Experience Foster Island with binoculars, field guides, family games and activities
Family Tree: Explore the Arboretum at your own pace with field equipment, maps, and activities
Boehm’s Candies guided tours, offered June-October, take you through the candy factory where you will receive samples of Boehm’s confections and see how the candies are made. You will also see the authentic Swiss Chalet and Alpine Chapel where you will learn about the history of the founder, Julius Boehm.
Tours are by reservation only. The cost of the tour is $3 per person. Children age 5 and under are free. Tours take approximately 35-45 minutes. Please arrive at least 5 minutes before your scheduled tour time.
Boehm’s also offers free self-guided tours.
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