RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART AKA THE SHELLEY

Public programs and visitor engagement:the rubin's public programs offer diverse audiences meaningful ways to engage with the art and cultures of the himalayas. In 2024, adult workshops and talks centered on the unifying theme of reframe, inspired by the buddhist concept of non-attachment, sparking conversations on how releasing attachments can create space for new ways of seeing, thinking, and being. Himalayan heritage programs provided insights into the art, cultures, and sacred traditions of the himalayan region, and weekly mindfulness meditation sessions invited participants to find stillness, inspired by an artwork from the rubin's collection. We served visitors with alzheimer's and dementia and their care partners, as well as close to 4,000 school age children and accompanying adults, offering them custom offerings informed by mindfulness and himalayan art and cultures. We worked with 225 low-income students in schools as part of our math and mandalas program, and educators for professional development workshops, providing them with an entre to the rubin's mandala lab curriculum. Expanding our global initiatives, we launched a grant program and the rubin museum himalayan art prize with the aim of supporting the work of artists and researchers inspired by himalayan artistic and cultural practices.