Ivette Vargas-O’Bryan, associate professor of religious studies at Austin College, is a Visiting Scholar for the lecture series Asian Art 101 at the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas. Her lecture on Himalayan Art is on Thursday, January 14, at 6:30 p.m. The event is open to the public at $20 per person, $5 for students (with a code provided on the museum website). Prior registration is required.
Vargas-O’Bryan and other scholars also provide audio recordings linked to objects in a related exhibit at the museum.
A member of the Austin College faculty since 2003, Vargas-O’Bryan, holds two master’s degrees, in Sanskrit and Indian studies and in religious studies. She also earned a Ph.D. in religious studies from Harvard University, with a specialization in Indian and Tibetan Buddhist studies and a subspecialty in Hinduism.
Vargas-O’Bryan was named a Fulbright Scholar in 2009, teaching at the University of Hong Kong. She also completed research on religion and healing traditions in India, Nepal, Tibet, China, and Mongolia during her Fulbright experience, which culminated in an edited book. She presented at the International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine Conference in Bhutan that year on Tibetan and Himalayan medicine and religion, and was a visiting scholar at the Institut Français de Pondichéry, India, part of the centre national de la recherche scientifique. She also has presented at the Crow Collection of Asian Art museum for several years, speaking on religion and art.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.