On September 27, 2024 the wind and rains from Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina causing 108 reported deaths and resulting in almost $60 billion in damages. The beautiful artsy-crafty city of Asheville was especially devastated. Venerable Pannavati, the abbot of Heartwood Refuge (a Buddhist Monastery located in Hendersonville, NC), after attending a post Helene gathering in neighboring Asheville, proposed a Buddhist Art and Film Festival as a day of “gratitude, inspiration, and triumph of the human spirit” and pledged to produce such an event. She drew upon themes of gratitude, resilience, beauty, contemplation, service, and joy through the media of art, dance, film, theatre, and song, blending the sacred and the secular. She proceeded to do this as a way of celebrating both their recovery from this tragedy and each other’s company in a tender togetherness of collective community. The event was well received by the community and enjoyed by all who attended and participated.
Monastic and supporting lay members of the Heartwood Refuge Monastery offered workshops in both dance and songwriting and collected films that captured the spirit of the event. Santi Cooper, also from Heartwood and a professional dancer and choreographer provided a dance offering to celebrate the event and demonstrate what he taught in his dance workshop earlier in the day. The DharmaVoci, a spiritually-oriented vocal ensemble shown above and below who blend traditional Buddhist chants with contemporary musical styles provided a closing concert for the event.
CLICK for article about the Bodhi Fest, A Buddhist Arts and Film Festival held in Asheville, NC, August 16, 2025, sponsored by the Heartwood Refuge.
CLICK for article on Venerable Pannavati and the Dharma Voci and their performance featured at the Buddhist Arts and Film Festival in Boulder, OC, May 24, 2024. The article also includes photos of the DharmaVoci members participating in events at both the Holy Vajrasana Temple in Sanger, CA and Holy Heavenly Lake in Hesperia, CA.
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