WASHINGTON -- More than 20 million Americans practice yoga and the number is climbing. To embrace the trend with an artsy twist, an upcoming Smithsonian exhibit traces the artistic past of this ancient practice.


"Yoga: The Art of Transformation" doesn't open at the Sackler Gallery until October 19, but Wednesday the museum kicked off a month-long crowdfunding campaign, the largest ever for the Smithsonian.


Why crowdfunding? As the museum explains in its FAQ section:


While federal taxpayer funding covers some of our costs (mostly operating costs, such as keeping the galleries clean and the lights on), private and public support -- whether from donors, sponsors, or grants -- cover the majority of expenses related to exhibitions and programming. We rely on public and private support to offer our programs and exhibitions free of charge to the public. Private and public support for the Yoga exhibition will help us create videos, publications, and pamphlets; print catalogs (and sell them for a much more reasonable price than through a bookstore!); offer yoga classes during the exhibition, and more.

The cost of putting on a major exhibition like this one is high -- but not unusual for the Freer|Sackler. It is simply necessary for keeping the artwork and visitors safe and ensuring a quality experience for both.



Whether or not the Sackler's fundraising goal of $125,000 is met, "The Art of Transformation" will open as scheduled in the fall. The upcoming exhibit includes more than 130 sculptures, paintings and photographs from the third century through the early 20th century.


Other highlights on the schedule include a family festival, free programs and maybe even yoga classes. The amount of programming depends in part upon money raised by the public and a network of "Yoga Messengers."


According to a release, "The Art of Transformation" "explores yoga’s philosophies and its goals of transforming body and consciousness, its importance within multiple religious and secular arenas, and the varied roles that yogis played in society, from sages to spies."


Click through the slideshow for a preview of some of the works of art on view as part of "Yoga: The Art of Transformation":





  • Three Aspects of the Absolute


    Folio 1 from the Nath Charit Bulaki India, Rajasthan, Jodhpur, 1823 (Samvat 1880) Opaque watercolor, gold and tin alloy on paper, 47 x 123 cm Mehrangarh Museum Trust, RJS2399




  • Yogini on Owl


    India, Uttar Pradesh, Kannauj, ca. 1000-1050 CE Sandstone, 86.4 x 43.8 x 24.8 cm San Antonio Museum of Art, purchased with the John and Karen McFarlin Fund and Asian Art Challenge Fund, 90.92




  • Yogini


    India, Tamil Nadu, Kanchipuram, ca. 900-975 Metagabbro, H x W x D: 116 x 76 x 43.2 cm Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Gift of Arthur M. Sackler, S1987.905




  • Yogini with Mynah


    By the Dublin painter India, Karnataka, Bijapur, ca. 1603-4 Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 42 x 32 cm Chester Beatty Library, 11A.31




  • Mystery girl: why can’t she be killed?


    Look Magazine USA, Iowa, Des Moines, September 28, 1937 Private Collection, H x W: 34.1 × 26.6 cm




  • Jina


    India, Rajasthan, probably vicinity of Mount Abu, dated 1160 Marble, 59.69 x 48.26 x 21.59 cm Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, The Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund, 2000.98




  • Siddha Pratima Yantra


    Western India, dated 1333 Bronze , 21.9 x 13.1 x 8.9 cm Freer Gallery of Art, F1997.33




  • Shiva Bhairava


    India, Karnataka, Mysore, 13th century Chloritic schist, 116.6 x 49.23 cm The Cleveland Museum of Art: John L. Severance Fund, 1964.369




  • Vishnu Vishvarupa


    India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, ca. 1800-20 Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 38.5 x 28cm Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Given by Mrs. Gerald Clark, IS.33-2006




  • Garbhasana (womb posture)


    Folio from the Ocean of Life (Bahr al-Hayat) India, Allahabad, ca.1600-1604 CE Opaque watercolor on paper, 22.2 x 13.9 cm Chester Beatty Library, In16.18r




  • Satcakranirupanicitra


    Swami Hamsvarupa Trikutvilas Press, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India, 1903 Book, 26.2 × 34.5 × 0.4 cm Wellcome Library, London, Asian Collections, 30525689




  • The Chakras of the Subtle Body


    Folio 4 from the Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati By Bulaki India, Rajasthan, Jodhpur, dated 1824 Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 122 x 46 cm Mehrangarh Museum Trust, RJS2376




  • The Prince in Danger


    from The Magic Doe Woman (Mrigavati) Attributed to Haribans, 1603-4 Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 28.3 x 17 cm Chester Beatty Library, Credit Line, In 37.28r




  • Battle at Thaneshwar


    from the Akbarnama Composed by Basawan and painted by Asi India, Mughal dynasty, ca. 1590-5 Opaque watercolor, gold and ink on paper, 38.1 x 22.4 cm Victoria and Albert Museum, London, IS.2:62-1896




  • Bifolio from the Gulshan Album


    India, Mughal dynasty, ca. 1600-1625 Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 53.5 x 40 cm Staatsbibliothek zu Berline – Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Orientabteilung, Libri pict. A 117




  • Group of Yogis


    Colin Murray for Bourne & Shepherd, ca. 1880s Albumen print, 22.2 x 29.2 cm Collection of Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck, 2011.02.02.0004




  • T. Krishnamacharya Asanas


    India, Mysore, 1938 Digital copy of a lost black & white film, 57 min. Sponsored by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodiyar ELS2013.1.77





Following its debut in D.C., "Yoga: The Art of Transformation" will transfer to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (Feb. 21–May 25, 2014) and the Cleveland Museum of Art (June 22–Sep. 7, 2014).


The Smithsonian's crowdfunding campaign runs through July 1; Washington City Paper noted the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum held a disappointing crowdfunding campaign for its 2012 Ai Weiwei exhibit, raising just $555 out of a $35,000 goal.


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