The Rubin Museum of Art

Learn about the many ways that Tibetan Buddhist artworks and practices have served as roadmaps to well-being. This new exhibition juxtaposes objects from the Rubin Museum’s collection with stories from Himalayan Americans that show various ways these living traditions are transformed and adopted for today’s world, especially in times of crisis. Organized around the central themes of "prevent," "heal" and "longevity," over 25 objects from the Rubin Museum’s collection will highlight traditional and contemporary Himalayan practices—such as rituals, visualization techniques, physical exercises, prayers, meditation, and medicinal treatments—for healing physical, mental, and emotional ailments. Artworks will be paired with stories and ephemera from Himalayan Americans who will share their own experiences with healing, both spiritual and secular, over the last two years.

The Rubin Museum is offering a unique exhibit that delves into the power of difficult emotions and how to turn them into positive ones—something many of us would benefit from these days. On the third floor of the museum, the Mandala Lab uses fun and interactive tools to explore jealousy/envy, attachment, pride, anger and ignorance and shows visitors how to turn them into wisdom of accomplishment, discernment, equanimity, mirror-like wisdom and all-accommodating wisdom, respectively. How this is done is through four quadrants across the floor, based on the Sarvavid Vairochana Mandala, a Tibetan Buddhist mandala that is used as a visualization tool to help achieve enlightenment. Each quadrant represents an emotion and has a playful activity to navigate it, including a "gong orchestra," a "breathing alcove" and a "scent library." The breathing alcove (pictured above) features a sculpture by Palden Weinreb that pulses with light on pace with regulated breathing to foster a sense of community and engagement rather than feelings of envy or competition. It is meant to encourage the wisdom of accomplishment. Photograph: courtesy Rafael Gamo, courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art The gong orchestra is a fun and beautiful way to get your frustrations out—by taking a mallet and hitting one of eight gongs, you can express anger and then watch it dissipate by submerging the gong into a pool of water. The gongs themselves were designed by musicians like Billy Cobham, Sheila E., Peter Gabr

After a two-year hiatus, K2 Friday Nights at the Rubin Museum of Art are back with free admission, live music and art from 6 to 10pm every Friday night. Kick off your night with drinks and tunes by a DJ in the K2 Lounge before going on a free exhibition tour at 7:15pm and enjoying a free sound bath from Brooklyn-based musician and sound healing practitioner Samer Ghadry, sound artist Mari Tanaka and producer/musician David Ellengbogen. You can also check out the new exhibit, "Healing Practices: Stories from Himalayan Americans" and roam the museum. (RSVPs are encouraged for the soundbaths.)