In harmony with the current exhibition Experiments with Truth: Gandhi and Images of Nonviolence, Tibetan monks from the Drepung Gomang monastery in South India will transform the Menil foyer into a monastic workshop, creating on site (in various shades of sand) a mandala — in the Buddhist meaning, a cosmic diagram of the universe with the purpose of invoking compassion.

Commencing at 11 a.m. on Dec. 8 with a ceremony of chanting and music, the six-day process will conclude at 5 p.m. on Dec. 13 with the dispersing of the sand in a closing ceremony symbolizing the transitory nature of life on earth. Visitors are invited to view the mandala in the foyer all six days, but note that museum galleries are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.