Table of Contents

The World Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks of the World Fellowship of Buddhists Regional Centres will bring worldwide Buddhist Artworks to a single point of access on the Internet regardless of time, place and space. It will promote the peaceful and tolerant message of the Buddha by bridging cultural and language differences through a visual array of wholesome blessings for visitors and contributors alike.

As the saying goes "a picture says a thousand words".


Draft Resolution 2

The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd invites World Fellowship of Buddhists Regional Centres to submit digital images or photographs of Buddhist Art works for display on the internet website named "World Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks of the World Fellowship of Buddhists Regional Centres".


Rationale

This resolution has been brought to the WFB 23rd General Conference to provide a cost effective means for Regional Centres to collectively and safely exhibit their precious Buddhist Art collections to a global audience of Buddha Dhamma practitioners, scholars and interested persons.

The website concept was conceived following the WFB's 22nd General Conference in Malaysia in 2002. Specifically it arose out of Resolution No. 8 of the WFB Standing Committee on Publication, Publicity, Education, Culture and Art which stated:

"That an exhibition of Buddhist Art works from each participating Regional Centre be organised for each future General Conference."

The World Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks provides the WFB and each of our Regional Centres with an exhibition space for 365 days per year.

The exhibition brings together Buddhist art collections particular to country and culture that have been assembled over many years. It visually tells the story of Buddha Dhamma practice from over 140 locations on the five continents of the world. It is accessible 24 hours a day from internet connected PCs anywhere in the world.

Regional Centres will be able to participate by submitting photographs or digital images of pieces from their collections with supporting explanatory text under any of the exhibitions 12 sections.

These are:

Architecture.
Ceramics.
Ceremonial Clothing.
Drawings.
Flags and Banners.
Gardens.
Murals.
Paintings.
Ritual Objects.
Statues, Sculptures and Relief's.
Stupas.
Thangkas.

Submission and agreement forms will be circulated during this conference to allow all Regional Centres to register their inclusions.

The exhibition site is maintained by the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd on behalf of the WFB Standing Committee on Publication, Publicity, Education, Culture and Art.

Working Title

WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks.

Contents
1.0 Background to the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks.

2.0 Vision and Mission of the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks.

3.0 The Collection and its Exhibitors.

4.0 Composition of the Exhibition.

5.0 Submissions Information: Submitting, Reviewing, Licensing and Exhibiting.

6.0 Managing the Exhibition Collection.

7.0 Glossary.

8.0 Acknowledgments.

9.0 References.

10.0 Appendices.

1.0 Background to the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks.

The online exhibition concept was conceived following the WFB's 22nd General Conference in Malaysia in 2002. Specifically, the concept for the online exhibition arose out of the WFB Standing Committee on Publication, Publicity, Education, Culture and Art Resolution No.8 stating:

"That an exhibition of Buddhist Art works from each participating Regional Centre be organised for each future General Conference."

The WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks of the World Fellowship of Buddhists Regional Centres is presented to the World Fellowship of Buddhists 23rd General Conference in Taiwan 2006. It aims to provide Regional Centres with a cost effective means to collectively and safely exhibit their precious Buddhist Art collections to a global audience of Buddha Dhamma practitioners, scholars and interested persons.


2.0 Vision and Mission of the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks.

The working title is WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks.

Our Vision:

That the Exhibition will bring worldwide Buddhist Artworks to a single point of access on the Internet regardless of time, place and space. It will promote the peaceful and tolerant message of the Buddha by bridging cultural and language differences through a visual array of wholesome blessings for visitors and contributors alike.

As the saying goes "a picture says a thousand words".

Our Mission for WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks is to:

1. Promote a deeper appreciation and respect for Buddhism, Buddhist culture and world class Buddhist art and artworks.

2. Preserve collections of Buddhist art and artworks in digital forms for the benefit of future generations.

3. Overcome the physical deterioration of the original pieces of art by their preservation in digital image format to remain accessible for viewing across geographic borders.

4. Present the history of Buddhism and its cultural heritage.

5. Provide individuals with information on the history and nature of Buddhist practice and encourage visitors to, and or, support of the exhibiting Temples or Centres.

The online environment of the world-wide-web dramatically extends the scope and potential of a land based exhibition. It brings together physical pieces of art from many locations whilst reducing significant logistic, security and financial constraints.

The Regional Centre's collections are priceless in their rarity and impossible to recreate if those collections should be lost or destroyed.

The online exhibition connects visitors of the website to all participating Temples and will play an important role for students and scholars seeking access to Buddhist Art works for research and studies.

It is hoped that the exhibition will create a visual picture of Buddhist regional histories and culture.


3.0 The Collection and Exhibitors.

The World Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks provides the WFB and Regional Centres with a virtual exhibition space 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, for persons connected to the Internet from anywhere in the world.

The Collection of the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Art is:

1. Located across the five continents of the world.

2. Displaying digital images of selected artworks from participating Regional Centres.

3. Owned by the participating Regional Centres of the World Fellowship of Buddhists.

3.1 To build the depth and breadth of the online collection it is suggested that the Standing Committee consider the inclusion of non-member contributors.

To achieve this expansion we recommend that each Regional Centre invites other Temples and Centres to submit exhibits for inclusion.

3.2 Options for the Exhibition Website domain name to be considered by the Standing Committee are:

www.wfbartexhibition.org
www.wfbonlineexhibitionbuddistart.org
www.worldexpobuddhistart.org
www.worldexhibitionof buddhistart.org
www.worldexhibitionbuddhistart.org
www.worldexpobuddhistart.org
www.worldbuddhistart.org
www.wfbworldbuddhistart.org
www.wfbeba.org
www.buddhistartexpo.org
www.wfbartexhibition.org


4.0 Composition of the Exhibition

The exhibition shall comprise digital images of artworks under twelve categories that make up the Buddhist Art collection of participating Regional Centres. They are:

Architecture
Ceramics
Ceremonial Clothing
Drawings
Flags and Banners
Gardens
Murals
Paintings
Ritual objects
Statues, Sculptures and Relief's
Stupas
Thangkas

The exhibition is non-sectarian, non-ageist and non-sexist, comprising artworks from the Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Chan and Zen traditions.


5.0 Submissions Information: Submitting, Reviewing, Licensing and Exhibiting.

The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd invites World Fellowship of Buddhists Regional Centres to submit digital images or photographs (for digitising) of Buddhist artworks for exhibiting.

5.1 Overview
5.2 Submissions Guidelines
5.3 Copyright Licensing Agreement

5.1 Overview

Firstly we will outline the entire process of submitting, reviewing, licensing and exhibiting your material.

Participation in the online exhibition shall be granted via a formal submission process.

Please note that submissions to the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks may be as (1) digital images or (2) photographic prints or (3) reproduction prints, with supporting text (in digital format or hard copy/paper).

In the case that you've submitted photographic or reproduction prints (for example from a booklet or brochure) our Exhibition staff will scan the material, converting the photographic images to a digital format suitable for uploading to the exhibition website.

Submitted photographs, prints, CD's and floppy disks will be stored safely at the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd and shall form part of the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks collection archive. The exhibition is ongoing and once digital photographs are uploaded to the exhibit website they shall remain online as part of the permanent exhibition. Withdrawal of digital photographs from the exhibition must be by written request to the exhibition curator.

1.You must carefully read this document. If there are any points you do not understand please contact us prior to submitting your material. Questions regarding the Exhibit Submissions Process can be emailed to the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd at chanacademy@bdcu.org.au. You may also call us on (+613) 9754 3334.

2.Complete the Exhibition Submission form attached to this document and forward with your exhibit photograph/s as follows:

Option 1 By post to:

Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
Exhibition Curator
WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks
33 Brooking Street
Upwey 3158 Victoria Australia

Digital images can be provided to us on:

a) 1.44Mb Floppy Disc, or
b) CDs (non re-writeable CD's are preferred)

Option 2 By E-mail

For submissions by e-mail please include details as specified in the submission form attached to this document.

In the email subject line write:

Subject: Submission to WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks

Attach digital image files to the email message and

Send to: chanacademy@bdcu.org.au

5.2 Submission Guidelines

Preparation of exhibits and inclusion on the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks website follows the same principles we have applied with managing the presentation of digital images and written content on our websites over the past ten years. (see Appendices for a list of our 13 websites)

Before uploading material, we must make sure it complies with our standards. After you have submitted your material, our Submissions Board will review it with the following criteria in mind:

1.The artwork photographed must be clearly discernible.

Where an image of an artwork includes written language or characters, for example calligraphy or a welcome sign in a language other than English, a suitable translation into English must accompany the image for it to be approved for inclusion.

Supporting text must be written in English as this is the world language.

2.Supporting information required for each artwork submitted comprises the following exhibit data:

1. Ownership
2. Current location
3. Country/place of origin
4. History or supporting commentary
5. Physical characteristics/type of material
6. Dimensions
7. Age of artwork
8. Artist or maker
9. Permission to use and exhibit
10. Photographer

The information provided in answer to each of the above categories becomes a component of the exhibited art work.

3.The Submission must not be contradictory to Buddhist teachings, i.e. the artworks must be Buddhist.

4.The image of the artwork must be produced within the Buddhist precepts of to not steal and to not lie.

5.You must own the copyright of the submitted material. In general, if you created the artwork yourself, you are legally the copyright owner. Copyright ownership is automatically granted to you the moment the work is completed. You do not need to register your work with any government or organisation.

6.If the photographs of a work that is not your own creation, then you must give us written permission from the owner of the work to publish it in the exhibition.

7.If the photograph is of a work that is not your own creation and you are unable to gain permission from the owner because:
(1) you do not know who the artist is;
(2) the owner is deceased,
you may still submit the photograph which we will publish with the following disclaimer:

"This artwork has been published following every effort to ensure we are not breaking any provisions of copyright law. Should any person have information that this reproduction of this artwork is breaking copyright law, please advise us immediately so we can withdraw the artwork from this exhibition."

The submissions board will review your exhibit submission and accompanying digital images or photographs. Exhibitors will be advised of the acceptance of a submission to the exhibit within six weeks of receipt. The advice will be sent by e-mail or post (your preference).

Where a submission has been declined we shall provide a short explanation of why and how this may be rectified where possible. You may alter the material and re-submit it at any time.

5.3 Copyright License Agreement

The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. owns the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks. All legal agreements made are with the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

If your material passes review by our submissions board, you must grant the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd a Copyright Licence Agreement. In specific, the legal right to reproduce as an online digital image and communicate your submission to the public. To do this you must:

1. Understand your rights as the copyright owner of the submission.

2. Grant the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. a non-exclusive Copyright License Agreement.

5.3.1 Understanding your rights as the copyright owner of the submission

It is important that you understand your rights as the copyright owner of your work. We encourage you to research copyright laws that pertain to your country. You can find this information by contacting the government law office of your country, or searching the web for "Copyright Law + (your country)".

One good summary of copyright law can be found at:

http://ag.gov.au/agd/www/securitylawHome.nsf/Page/Publications_Intellectual_Property_A_Short_Guide_to_Copyright
The following is an excerpt from Copyright Law in Australia, A Short Guide published by the Attorney General's Office of Australia. Important points are highlighted in yellow.

"The owner of copyright in a literary {or artwork} work or sound recording {or photograph} has the following exclusive rights:

1. To reproduce the work in a material form which includes making a digital image;

2. To publish the work (that is, to make copies of the work available to the public for the first time);

3. To exhibit the work in public;

4. To communicate the work to the public (which includes the electronic transmission of the work such as…making the work available on-line);

5. To make an adaptation of the work (which includes the exhibiting of a part of the work); and

6. To commercially rent the artwork or photograph.

If any party other than the copyright owner excersises these rights in relation to a and artwork or photograph, they are infringing upon the owner's copyright. The copyright owner may seek legal action, including injunctions, damage claims, account of profits, conversion damages, customs, and criminal offences. Ultimately using someone else's work without their permission or knowledge is stealing.

5.3.2 You must grant the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. a non-exclusive Copyright License Agreement

The following is an excerpt from Copyright Law in Australia, A Short Guide published by the Attorney General's Office of Australia. 1.

"7.6 Copyright owners may excersise any of the above rights themselves or may give permission to other people to do so. Such permission is referred to as a license. Copyright owners may grant a license that is subject to certain conditions such as… a limit the license as to time, place or purpose."

In order for the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd to legally exhibit your submission we require your permission to (1) reproduce your material as digital image and (2) exhibit the material to the public via online Internet website.

To grant us these rights, you must agree to and sign a legal contract called a Copyright License Agreement, which grants the certain legal rights to Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. A summary of explanation of this agreement is as follows:

Please note: this contract is non-exclusive, meaning you can grant similar rights to other parties without infringing upon this agreement.

1. The WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks may reproduce the work in a material form (digital image/format);

After the material has been reviewed by the Submissions Board, the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks will format and or produce a suitable digital image for uploading to the exhibition website. The copyright of this digital image belongs to you, although, in the event the license is terminated, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd may retain hard print copies or CD's or Floppy Disks holding the digital image for archiving.

2. The WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks may present to the public via its website and the world wide web a digital exhibit (photograph and supporting notes) of the material in whole or in part, and to incorporate the material, in whole or in part, into other Buddhist exhibits, works and websites.

The WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks may communicate to the public your artwork exhibit/s in whole (as a single exhibition), or in part (as part of another exhibition or exhibitions).

3. The WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks may exhibit your submitted artwork at any time they deem appropriate.

The WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks reserves the right to exhibit your submitted artwork images at any time or withdraw your submitted artwork images at any time.

The exhibition is ongoing and once digital images are uploaded to the exhibit website they shall remain online as part of the exhibition.

Withdrawal of digital photographs from the exhibition must be by written request to the exhibition Curator.

4. All right, title and interest in the material, including without limitation, any copyright, shall remain with the owner.

By granting the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks the above-mentioned rights, you do not sacrifice any of your rights. You can still exercise the right to publish the photographic material in a book or other exhibitions, and so forth.

Also, we will credit you for your artwork including the photographic images, meaning that as part of the exhibit your supporting text shall be presented in full, and not in part.

Supporting text may include:

1. Ownership.
2. Current location.
3. Country/place of origin.
4. History or supporting commentary.
5. Physical characteristics/type of material.
6. Dimensions.
7. Age of artwork.
8. Artist or maker.
9. Permission to use and exhibit.
10. Photographer.

5. The WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks shall pay neither fee nor royalty for exhibiting of the digital image/s, nor shall the contributor pay the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks. Being part of a not-for-profit organisation, the WFB Online Exhibition of Buddhist Artworks does not pay a fee or royalty to the submitting party.

Please consider our free exhibition service as our offering to you, just as your material is an offering to all beings.


6.0 Managing the Exhibition Collection.

We have drawn from the Australian Museums and Galleries Online model (www.amol.gov.au) in developing our processes for managing data (digital images and explanatory text) provided to us for artworks and cultural heritage objects held in the individual collections of participating Buddhist Temples and Centres.

To help us to effectively maintain the collection of submitted images we have instituted a Digital Rights Management (DRM) System. The DRM manages digital images and content from copyright infringement. The DRM system uses information rights, information provided by contributors and the rights of holders to manage copyright material and the terms and conditions on which the images and content are made available to users. For example downloading of images, reproduction and other uses.

Ref: www.dcita.gov.au/arts/publications/artbeat/previous/winter_2003/dtm

6.1 Exhibition Staff.

Curator
Catherine Ryan TPTC, BA, Dip Graph Design, MEd

Assistant Curator Julian Bamford BA AppRec

Collection Advisor
Anita Carter RN Div1
Professor Prasad Bikiran Barua

Webmasters
Pennie White BA, DipEd, MEd (ICT), Alec Sloman, Helen Costas

Website Development & Maintenance
Tiraj Adikari

Fundraising & Promotion
Julian Bamford BA App Rec
Lainie Smallwood BA MA

6.2 Heavenly Advisors

Chief Deva of Learning.
Devas and Devatas of Learning.
Chief Deva Chan Academy Australia.

6.3 Exhibition Stakeholders

WFB Standing Committee on Publication, Publicity, Education, Culture and Arts.
WFB Regional Centres.
World Buddhist University.
Chan Academy Australia (Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.)
Individual Buddhist and non-Buddhist scholars.


7.0 Glossary

Explanations and descriptions of the symbolism inherent in Buddhist art.

Architecture
Ceramics
Ceremonial Clothing
Drawings
Flags and banners
Gardens
Murals
Paintings
Ritual objects
Statues, Sculptures and Relief's
Stupas
Thangkas


8.0 Acknowledgments

This paper was developed and prepared by:

Julian Bamford, President, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
Anita Carter, Director & Secretary, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd
Frank Carter, Vice-President, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
Alec Sloman, Junior Vice-President, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
Lainie Smallwood, Joint Treasurer, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

We give a special thanks to Rhoda Noelle Sloman, Alec Sloman's stepmother, whose assistance and knowledge of Copyright Law was kindly given for the purpose of writing this paper.


9.0 References

Australian Museums and Galleries Online (AMOL)
www.amol.org.au

Department of Commerce - Office of Information and Communications Technology.
www.oit.nsw.gov.au/content/7.2.23.amol.asp

Lets Get Digital -- Rights Management in the electronic age. Artbeat - Winter 2003 (DCITA)
www.dcita.gov.au/arts/publications/artbeat/previous/winter_2003/dtm

Copyright Law in Australia, A Short Guide, Published by the Attorney General's Office of Australia, taken from
http://ag.gov.au/agd/www/securitylawHome.nsf/Page/Publications_Intellectual_Property_A_Short_Guide_to_Copyright


10.0 Appendices

List of Our Websites

Websites developed and maintained by the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. They are:

www.bdcu.org.au
www.bdcublessings.net.au
www.bddronline.net.au
www.buyresolved.com.au
www.bsbonline.com.au
www.edharma.org
www.worldbuddhistradio.org
www.buddhaview.org

May all beings be well and happy.