Alum Trian Nguyen Creates Catalog for Asian Shaman Art Exhibit

NOOZHAWK (SANTA BARBARA) -- The exhibit called “How to Make The Universe Right: The Art of the Shaman in Vietnam and Southern China,” will be on display at University of California, Santa Barbara’s AD&A Museum from January 17 through May 1. The process of looking for someone to help him write a major catalog was a huge undertaking. Most academics were afraid of this new field because there was so little published material. After a two-year search, Barry found Trian Nguyen, an ordained monk in Vietnam who came to the United States, got a Bachelor of Arts from San Francisco State University, a Master of Arts from Harvard Divinity School and then a Ph.D. in Asian art history from University of California, Berkeley. He now teaches at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.