Millions of grains of sand are painstakingly placed on a flat platform during several days or weeks to form the image of a mandala, a Sanskrit word meaning "sacred cosmogram," according to information from the museum.
The monks will perform the opening ceremony from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, and they will work on the sand painting from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The public is invited to stop by to watch the monks as they work. Then, at 2 p.m. Sunday, there will be a closing ceremony.
The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is at 901 College St., Auburn. Call 334-844-1484 or visit jcsm.auburn.edu.