Rubin Museum of Art

Next month we’re releasing "The Art of Awakening" issue of Spiral magazine, our free annual publication! Want a copy sent to your home? Sign up for our U.S. mailing list. There are only a few spots left: https://bit.ly/2N4lM7Z

Looking for something to do with your family today? Join our Tibetan New Year celebration, Losar Family Day, from 1-4 PM! Try art making at home, learn about Losar traditions, and more!

Gather your family and join us this Sunday, Feb. 7, for an online celebration of Losar, the Tibetan New Year observed throughout the Himalayas. Drop in from 14 PM for family art making and fun inspired by the Year of the Metal Ox! Register: https://bit.ly/3cxmpBC

Tomorrow, our ongoing exhibition "Masterworks: A Journey through Himalayan Art" opens on our 5th floor! Preview highlights from the exhibition and plan a visit.

Rituals are returns to classic practices and serve as a reminder of the importance of beginning again. Listen to this 2017 episode of our Mindfulness Meditation Podcast, inspired by a painting of a Nepalese temple banner depicting the legend of Prince Virakusha.

Today is National Letter Writing Day! Discover "The Letter Writing Project" and other the works by artist Lee Mingwei, who is featured in our exhibition "Measure Your Existence."

Inauguration Day in the U.S. marks a transmission of great political power. This painting, which was on view in our 2019 exhibition "Faith and Empire," depicts another form of power exchange: the tantric initiation of emperor Qubilai Khan by Lama Phakpa (12351280) in 1264. The initiation grants divine legitimacy to the emperor, and in exchange, Lama Phakpa receives suzerainty (limited regional rule) over Tibet and other offerings. Despite the Mongol emperor’s incredible poli...tical importance, the Tibetan painting focuses on the religious supremacy of Lama Phakpa, who is depicted larger than life and seated on the emperor’s throne. From where do world leaders today gain their power and legitimacy? __________ Initiation of Qubilai Khan and Offering Tibet to Phakpa in 1264; Tibet; ca. 16th-17th century; pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Art; C2002.3.2

Ground yourself with a little weekend meditation today. Our latest podcast episode on the topic of resilience is a great way to get started!

There's only 1 month left to see "Shahidul Alam: Truth to Power" at the Rubin Museum. The exhibition, which opened in November 2019, presents the first comprehensive U.S. survey of the activist's photographic work. Reserve tickets to the Museum before "Truth to Power" closes on January 3, 2021. Plan your visit: http://therubin.org/2-s

The walls in our galleries are more than just functional surfaces for hanging art. The walls were designed to work in tandem with the spiral staircase to evoke the layout of a mandala. Created as a tool for meditation, mandalas typically portray a bird’s-eye view of a deity’s palace. The deity resides in the center within a circle, which is itself inscribed within a bisected square representing the palace gates. Look at the mandala of Heruka Krishna Yamari alongside a layout of our 2nd-floor galleries to spot the similarities. __________ Mandala of Heruka Krishna Yamari; Tsang Province, Central Tibet; 15th century; mineral pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Art; C2005.16.41 (HAR 65464)

This month, people around the world have been celebrating Navaratri, a Hindu festival representing the triumph of good over evil. In some parts of the Indian subcontinent, Navaratri is synonymous with Durga Puja, which marks the goddess Durga’s defeat of the shape-shifting buffalo demon Mahishasura. This statue depicts the moment of Durga's victory. Having chopped the bull’s head off, Durga pulls the body of the demigod from the animal by the hair and stabs him before he can even draw his sword. _________ Durga Killing the Buffalo Demon (Durga Mahisasuramardini); Nepal; 12th or 13th century; gilt copper alloy; Rubin Museum of Art; C2005.16.11 (HAR 65433)

At the Rubin, we inspire visitors to see things differently. Through art and artful ideas, we help foster mindfulness, inspiration, and a deeper understanding of the world we live in. Support our work this #GivingTuesday: http://therubin.org/2zt

Do you love Indian Classical Music? Join us, Brooklyn Raga Massive, and Pioneer Works for the annual Ragas Live Festival! This year, the 24-hour celebration will be online Nov 21-22. Registration is open now! https://live.pioneerworks.org/ragas/

Give a gift of protection and compassion. Each mask in our shop features an artwork that offers inspiration for this challenging season. Receive 10% off all orders (20% off for members) through the December 24. Browse our limited-edition art-print masks and more: http://therubin.org/30l

We hope you enjoyed our virtual gala last night, which took us on a journey through the mandala and previewed our plans for a new 3rd floor! We are so pleased to share that we have raised $160,000+ from nearly 200 donors! Your generosity helps bring to life a new center of emotional learning, art, and inspiration for children and adults alike at the Rubin Museum. There is still time to make a donation to support the Museum and watch the gala video through Monday, October 26: http://therubin.org/308 We would also like to take this chance to say thank you once more to our generous sponsors. Thanks for making this year's gala a success!

Yesterday, we announced our plans for a new 3rd floor at the Museum: an interactive space for social and emotional learning called the Mandala Lab, inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist mandala and designed by Peterson Rich Office (PRO)! The floor will be divided into 4 sections representing the cardinal directions, symbolic colors, and elements of the mandala practice. Each quadrant will invite you to recognize a difficult emotion within yourself and convert it into a pearl of co...mplementary wisdom. The Lab will also be the foundation of our school and family programs, as a way to provide younger generations with tools for navigating the world more skillfully. Join our virtual gala tonight, also inspired by the mandala, to support this initiative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghzJdYXeg20&feature=youtu.be

The holiday season can be an overwhelming and emotional time of the year for many. If you're in need of some clarity, you may find inspiration in our latest Mindfulness Meditation Podcast episode on resilience, inspired by a painting of the wise meditation deity Akshobhyavajra.

Have you ever learned something you needed to know at just the right time? This painting depicts Lama Jatson Nyingpo, who lived from 1585 to 1656 and is considered a "terton," or treasure revealer, who discovered a hidden text left by the great Tantric master Padmasambhava in the 8th century. Padmasambhava is said to have hid many of these treasures, or "terma," throughout the Himalayas with the intention that they would be revealed when needed. By composing different teachin...gs for different times, Padmasambhava understood the fluidity needed to convey the eternal truth that pervades them. __________ Lama Jatson Nyingpo (15851656); Eastern Tibet; 19th century; pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Art; Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.556 (HAR 1035) See more

Our first free-to-attend gala is happening virtually this Wednesday at 6 PM. Will you join us?

This Wednesday, October 21 at 6:00 PM, join us for Inside the Mandala: A Virtual Gala, a free-to-attend fundraising event. The mandala is one of Himalayan Buddhism’s most ubiquitous symbols and depicts a realm that is both complex and sacred. During this virtual gala you’ll explore the mandalaawakening the mind, body, and heart. Journey with guests who take inspiration from the four main rooms of the mandala palace, including teacher and lineage holders Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpo...che and Mingyur Rinpoche, artist Laurie Anderson, integrative medicine pioneer Deepak Chopra, and many more! Learn more and register: http://therubin.org/302

Next week, enter the portal of the Rubin Museum and celebrate the timeless wisdom of Himalayan art at our first virtual gala! Register: http://therubin.org/302 During this special evening fundraiser you’ll explore the mandala, awakening the mind, body, and heart while opening doors to your inner world to better navigate the outer world.

Take a look at the clouds in this painting. The rolling, swirling pattern seen here is featured in many Himalayan artworks and serve as the background in a landscape or as the platform of a deity’s throne. You'll also find this pattern built into the copper "cloud wall" in our lobby. The wall was made by legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser, who passed away earlier this year. The "I <3 NY" designer played a key role in the Rubin’s early years, also creating the Museum’s original logo and other works for the Museum. #Archtober #OHNYWknd __________ Tara Protecting from the Eight Fears (detail, Kham Province, Eastern Tibet; 19th century; pigments on cloth, Rubin Museum of Art, Gift of Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, F1997.15.1 (HAR 237) #Clouds #Motifs #MiltonGlaser #Design

Today is Indigenous Peoples Day in the U.S. Too often, stories from indigenous communities have been suppressed or even erased from history. This photograph by activist and artist Shahidul Alam superimposes a portrait of the Bangladeshi indigenous rights activist Kalpana Chakma over pages from her diary. Chakma was a young leader working for the rights of indigenous people to govern their own land in the military-occupied Chittagong Hill Tracts. One morning in June 1996, she ...was abducted at gunpoint by the military. It was something the state wanted us to forget, writes Alam. Although Alam never met Kalpana in person, he has documented and commemorated her life over the course of his career to challenge her erasure from history. See this work in the exhibition "Shahidul Alam: Truth to Power," currently on view at the Rubin. __________ : Shahidul Alam (b. 1955, Dhaka, Bangladesh); Newspaper Clipping of Combined Image of Kalpana Chakma and Snippets from Her Diary; 2014; photograph; image courtesy of Shahidul Alam/Drik/Majority World

Lakshmi is a goddess of wealth who some Buddhists also identify as Tara. She is unequivocally a lotus goddess; her throne, pedestal, attributes, and tiara are all decorated with lotus flowers. In the Kathmandu Valley, lotuses grow out of mud after the monsoon rains and blossom in autumn when rice is ready for harvesting. A lotus goddess is therefore the goddess of wealth and the harvest. What are your personal symbols of good fortune and growth? Ponder this question and hear more about this artwork in our latest Mindfulness podcast episode: http://therubin.org/301 __________ Lotus Goddess, Lakshmi; Nepal; 17th century; wood with pigments and gilt repoussé; Rubin Museum of Art; C2008.1a-b (HAR 65821)

Our virtual gala is less than 2 weeks away! Register for free today and join us on Wednesday, October 21.

Tomorrow we're joining other cultural organizations for #MuseumInstaSwap 2020! Follow @CentralParkNYC on Instagram tomorrow to see our takeover! http://therubin.org/300