What if you set out to travel the world and got sidetracked in a Himalayan sewing workshop? What if that sidetrack became your life’s path? Textile artist and author Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo, one of the only Westerners to have mastered the rare Buddhist art of silk appliqué thangka, will talk about her journey and her new book, Threads of Awakening, which includes a foreword by the Dalai Lama.

For more than 500 years, Tibetans have been creating sacred images from pieces of silk and using these textured maps to access the hidden treasure of their own true nature. Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo is one of few non-Tibetans to have mastered this rare art form. Come see her extraordinary artwork and be inspired by her fascinating stories.

The Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum welcome the public to a free event in the Library’s Auditorium.