E. Gene Smith and Dafna Yachin at a special preview event for the documentary film "Digital Dharma: One Man's Mission to Save a Culture."*

The event, which took place on Thursday, December 10, 2009, at the new private gallery of Shelley and Donald Rubin, in New York City, included a Silent Auction of contemporary art to raise completion funds for the film project Digital Dharma about the life of E. Gene Smith and the mission of the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center.

To see more photos of the event by AKA's Bob Mahon please visit:
www.flickr.com/photos/stayaka/

Five-time Grammy nominee and classical guitar virtuoso, Ottmar Liebert, performed.

The Preview Event was presented by:

Shelley and Donald Rubin
The Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation
and founders of the Rubin Museum of Art (RMA)

Patricia Gruber
President
The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation

Leonard van der Kuijp
Chair of the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies,
Harvard University

Speakers included:

Ramon Prats
Senior Curator
Rubin Museum of Art

E.Gene Smith
Founder and Executive Director
Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center

Dafna Yachin
Director, Digital Dharma:
One Man's Mission to Save a Culture

Jeff Wallman
Director of Technology,
Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center

Digital Dharma, the movie
www.digitaldharma.com

Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center
www.tbrc.org

Lunchbox Communications
www.lunchboxcity.com

Ottmar Liebert
www.ottmarliebert.com

AKA Hotel Residences sponsored the event
www.stayaka.com

Buddakan NY, a Stephan Starr Restaurant provided the dinner for the evening
www.buddakannyc.com/