The impermanence of beauty

It’s a horrible feeling to be pissed in retrospect when you’ve overlooked one of the nifty special programs at the Crocker, like that documentary on the history of stained-glass windows we missed when the museum showed it earlier this month. So here’s a heads-up so you can mark your calendars: Next month, eight Tibetan monks of the Ganden Shartse monastery will, over the course of five days, create a dul-tson-kyil-kor, or mandala from colored sand, in the ballroom at the Crocker. The creation process will be visible from above, in the California Gallery, where you can watch, starting Tuesday, January 8 through Saturday, January 12, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. The Crocker Art Museum is located at 216 O St. downtown. Admission is $6 for students, $4 for seniors, $3 for students with valid I.D.