I know you just finished your back-to-school shopping, but believe it or not the holidays will be here before you know it. If you are like me you have already started making your to-do list, and right now you can preorder some of the funniest expat-centric cards around and help not one, but two good causes! Let me introduce you to Snowland Art.
In 2010 a Canadian expat named Kristel Ouwehand – aka Tenzin Dolma – established the Tibetan Artists’ Development Company.
It is a five-year art and handcraft training school devoted to maintaining the integrity of the art of Thangka, and students come to the school to live and study the Buddhist art form. According to the website, “The school only takes a small number of students, focusing on quality rather than quantity… Kristel and her students go through all the exam papers, and each student gives his/her view as to which two or three applicants they would choose to accept.”
And the tuition has remained low. Students pay only RMB 500 for the entire 5-year program. All other operating costs are supplemented through donations and the sale of student work via Snowland Art Studios.
And what they produce in the studio are incredible one-of-a-kind, sustainable art pieces that make wonderful gifts. Unique and customizable puzzles, ornaments, pillows, and water bottles are just a few of the items that support a great cause and will be treasured souvenirs for you to gift or use to decorate your own home.
Even with all of this said, perhaps the most impressive thing about the program is its sense of civic responsibility. Most of the students come from humble backgrounds and they work hard to build a better future for themselves. But despite having far fewer resources than most of us are lucky enough to access, they still find ways to support other community programs through their work.
This year their famous and funny expat holiday cards are doing more than just giving us a laugh. A percentage of the sales from the cards will be donated to local animal shelters that have been hit hard over the past few years with relocations and building costs.
To order cards that will make your friends’ holidays a little brighter and help a furry friend find a warm place to sleep during the cold Beijing winters, scan the QR code in the flyer below.
KEEP READING: Don’t Leave Beijing Without These Unique Souvenirs
Images: Snowland Art
