Breathe Through the Inauguration with Zachary Quinto and More at Rubin Museum
By: BWW News Desk Dec. 06, 2016
2017 is upon us! At the Rubin Museum of Art, breathe through inauguration season with several January mind/body programs and talks, including a reading featuring Zachary Quinto. Scroll down for details!
JANUARY SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND TALKS:
BEGINNER'S LUCK
PANEL DISCUSSION
Wednesday, January 4, 2017; 7:00-8:30 PM
Tickets: $18.00 / Members: $16.70
Hosted by Nautilus magazine, a panel of scientists and behaviorists attempt to analyze why the notion of "beginner's luck" persists despite, as it were, the odds. This is a continuation of the Rubin's exploration of the concept of karma.
RUMI'S SECRET: BRAD GOOCH + Zachary Quinto
BOOK READING AND SIGNING
Wednesday, January 18, 2017; 7:00-8:30 PM
Program Tickets: $25.00 / Copy of Rumi's Secret: $28.99
10% off both prices for members
Actor Zachary Quinto reads the ecstatic love poetry of the thirteenth-century Persian mystic Rumi to mark the publication of Rumi's Secret, a biography by Brad Gooch.
Rumi, a Persian poet and Sufi mystic born over eight centuries ago, has been compared to Shakespeare for his outpouring of creativity and to Saint Francis of Assisi for his spiritual wisdom. In this breakthrough biography, Brad Gooch brilliantly brings to life the legendary man and puts a face to the name Rumi, vividly coloring in his time and place-a world as rife with conflict as our own. Ambitious, bold, and beautifully written, Rumi's Secret reveals the unfolding of Rumi's devotion to a "religion of love," remarkable in his own time and made even more relevant for the twenty-first century by this compelling account.
About the Speakers
Zachary Quinto received his BFA from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh in 1999. After moving to Los Angeles and breaking into television, he appeared as computer analyst Adam Kaufman on 24, Tori Spelling's flamboyant best friend on so noTORIous, and Sylar the super powered psychopathic serial killer on Heroes. Starting in 2009 Quinto appeared as Spock in the blockbuster reboot of the Star Trek franchise, directed by JJ Abrams. Aardvark by Brian Shoaf is slated for release in 2017. In 2013 Quinto played the role of Tom Wingfield in The American Repertory Theatre's production of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, a role he reprised on Broadway in 2014. In February 2016 he appeared in the New York premiere of MCC Theater's Smokefall. This is his second appearance at the Rubin; his first was in 2016's Brainwave: Emotion talk series.
Brad Gooch is the author of Smash Cut: A Memoir of Howard & Art & the 70s & the 80s and Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and a New York Times bestseller. His previous books include City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara; Godtalk: Travels in Spiritual America; three novels: Scary Kisses, The Golden Age of Promiscuity, and Zombie00; a collection of stories called Jailbait and Other Stories, chosen by Donald Barthelme for a Writer's Choice Award; a collection of poems entitled The Daily News; and two memoirs, Finding the Boyfriend Within and Dating the Greek Gods.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE + TRACY DENNIS
CAN TECHNOLOGY MAKE US MORE MINDFUL?
Wednesday, January 25, 2017; 7:00-8:30 PM
Tickets: $20.00 / Members: $18.00
Can technology make us more mindful? Rohan Gunatillake, creator of the best-selling meditation app buddhify, meets with Psychology professor Tracy Dennis to explore technology's role in meditation and the seemingly contradictory act of "plugging in to unplug."
About the Speakers
Named by Wired magazine in their Smart List of 50 people who will change the world, Rohan Gunatillake is the director of Mindfulness Everywhere, the company responsible for creating Kara, Sleepfulness, Cards for Mindfulness, and the best-selling hit app buddhify. Rohan's first book Modern Mindfulness will be published in the United States in January.
Dr. Tracy Dennis is an emotion scientist and Professor in the Psychology Department at Hunter College of the City University of New York. She has translated two decades of her research on the anxious brain and the fundamental impact of emotions on health into the development of clinically-validated digital mental health tools, including her stress-reduction app Personal Zen. Her work in mindfulness-based stress reduction in at-risk youth is the topic of the documentary film "Changing Minds at Concord High." She explores ideas about growing up and growing old in the digital age in her blog Psyche's Circuitry. She is the co-director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Health Technology and Wellness at Hunter College and the Stress, Anxiety, and Resilience Research Center. Dr. Dennis has appeared on stage at the Rubin for three Brainwave series programs: with Congressman Tim Ryan, the astronaut Scott Parazynski, and martial artist Shi Yan Ming.
JANUARY MIND/BODY PROGRAMS:
WORKING WITH ENEMIES
MEDITATION WORKSHOP WITH SHARON SALZBERG
Wednesday, January 11, 2017; 7:00-9:00 PM
Tickets: $45.00 / Members: $40.50
We all must work with our enemies. An enemy, whether within (a habitual, painful mind state) or without (someone for whom we steadily feel antipathy or fear), marks the edge between limited lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimity, and the potential boundlessness of these qualities.
In this two-hour workshop Sharon Salzberg will explore inner and outer enemies; look at the fear, anger, and anguish generated by being stuck in a mode of "us" and "them"; and focus on the potential for liberation. The program will consist of dialogue, discourse, and meditation practice and is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators.
About the Speaker
Sharon Salzberg, cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, has been a student of meditation since 1971, and guiding meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. Sharon's latest book is Real Happiness At Work: Meditations for Accomplishment, Achievement, and Peace. She is weekly columnist for On being, a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and is also the author of several other books including the New York Times best-seller, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program, Love Your Enemies, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, and Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness.Sharon has been a regular participant in the Rubin's many on-stage conversations.
SWEAR IN, BREATHE OUT
WITH SARAH PLATT-FINGER AND LIVE MUSIC BY AYA & TAYLOR
Friday, January 20, 2017; 7:00-8:30PM
Advance Tickets: $30.00 / Day of: $35.00
10% off for Members
Join Sarah Platt-Finger, co-founder of ISHTA Yoga for an evening of meditation, movement, and music on Inauguration Day. The class will begin with a meditation to plant an intention for the highest good, followed by a gentle, grounding flow. The session will be accompanied by live electronic music by Aya & Taylor. Join us, as we move together to remember that we are all connected, and even in times of change and uncertainty, we are never alone.
About the Teacher
Sarah Platt-Finger is the co-founder of ISHTA Yoga and the private yoga teacher of Deepak Chopra. She teaches trainings, workshops, and retreats internationally with her husband, yoga master Alan Finger, and is a featured expert on Jiyo, a revolutionary new digital platform that brings health and wellness to online communities all over the world. She is on the board of directors for Exhale to Inhale, a non-profit organization that teaches yoga to survivors of domestic violence.
About the Musicians
Aya and Tyler perform live electronic meditation concerts for the modern listener. In live performance, Aya and Tyler use loop stations to record multiple layers of live vocals, instruments, and percussion into an alluring multi-layered soundscape that guides the listener to experience his or her true essential nature. Fusing English lyrics with sacred mantras, elements of jazz and electronica with soul and R&B, and shamanic rhythms with indigenous instruments, Aya and Tyler create a 21st-century experience of meditation through the power of music.
RECURRING PROGRAMS:
WEEKLY MINDFULNESS MEDITATION SERIES
Every Wednesday, 1:00 pm
Tickets: $15.00 / Free for Museum Members
Practice the art of attention in this weekly meditation session led by guiding teacher Sharon Salzberg, New York Insight Meditation Center, and the Interdependence Project.
RubinMuseum.org/MindfulnessMeditation
YOGA CONNECTIONS
Select Wednesdays, 6:00-6:45 PM
Tickets: $15.00 / Members: $13.50
Discover the connections between yoga and the traditions expressed in Himalayan art in this monthly program.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
KEELY GARFIELD
Keely Rakushin Garfield joyfully participates in the great body of the world as a dancer, teacher, and therapist. At the heart of her dedicated engagement in both the arts and wellness are a spirit of philosophical inquiry and compassionate concern. Garfield is an acclaimed choreographer with her company Keely Garfield Dance as well as a dance professor and cultural curator. She is a seasoned yoga instructor, Reiki Master, meditation teacher, and Urban Zen Integrative Therapist (UZIT). Lay-ordained in Soto Zen Buddhism, her path of practice and service continues to shape her work in oncology and hospice and is central in her creative endeavor.
JANUARY MUSIC:
JAZZ AT THE RUBIN
Live jazz performances in our cherrywood-lined theater on select Fridays.
KAVITA SHAH
Friday, January 6, 2017, 7:00-8:30 PM
Tickets: $20.00 / Members: $18.00
Kavita Shah, a visionary young singer who incorporates elements of Indian, Brazilian, and Malian music into her jazz-based repertoire, returns to the Rubin with her soulful phrasing. Her debut album VISIONS (co-produced by guitar virtuoso Lionel Loueke) combines the sounds of traditional Indian tabla and West African kora with those of a jazz quintet.
About the Performer
Kavita Shah grew up in Manhattan, studying classical piano from age 5 and performing regularly at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as a member of the award-winning Young People's Chorus of NYC. She was a semifinalist in the 2011 Voicingers International Jazz Competition held in Zory, Poland, and she has since performed as a bandleader throughout Europe. She has led projects at numerous venues, including the Blue Note, Jazz Standard, Joe's Pub, and Kennedy Center (DC), and is an active member of the New York jazz scene. Shah has collaborated with artists Sheila Jordan, Peter Eldridge, StEve Wilson, Rajna Swaminathan, and Samir Chatterjee, among many others. In addition to the VISIONS project, Shah also leads the Brazil Trio and a jazz quintet, co-leads a duo with bassist François Moutin, and collaborates with contemporary composers.
NAKED SOUL
Naked Soul presents performances from some of the country's top singer/songwriters without microphones or amplifiers, as if the music were, acoustically speaking, naked. The musicians in the series draw upon the universal themes inherent in Himalayan art-spirituality, peace, tolerance, wisdom, and compassion.
JOE PURDY
Friday, January 27, 2017; 7:00-8:30 PM
Advance price: $32.00/Day of price: $35.00
10% off both prices for Members
Joe Purdy is a celebrated singer/songwriter and independent artist. Releasing music through his label Mudtown Crier Records. Purdy sold a staggering one million direct track downloads in the United States on iTunes. His latest album, This American, is rich with haunting imagery and filled with warm, American folklore and storytelling.
SPIRAL MUSIC
Every Wednesday, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Free concerts with artists specializing in music from the Himalayas and South Asia. Presented as part of the Rubin Museum's Himalayan Happy Hour.
January 11, 2017
TOMCHESS + KEVIN NATHANIEL
K2 LOUNGE DJ SETS
Every Friday, 6:00-10:00 PM
During K2 Friday Nights, Café Serai becomes the K2 Lounge, offering a special pan-Asian tapas menu to accompany the evening's free DJ and programs. All DJ sets are free, along with free gallery admission.
JANUARY FILMS:
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Koyaanisqatsi
Friday, January 13, 2017; 7:00pm
Tickets: $18.00 / Members: $16.20
1982, USA, Godfrey Reggio, 87 min.
Koyaanisqatsi (the Hopi Indian word meaning "life out of balance") is is an apocalyptic vision of the collision of two different worlds-urban life and technology versus the environment. The film, with a score composed by Philip Glass, does not have a conventional plot, leaving it up to the viewer to decide its specific message and value.
CABARET CINEMA: PERCEPTION
Fridays in January, 9:30pm
Tickets: $10.00 / Free for Museum Members
January 6, 2017
Kensho at the Bedfellow
Introduced by Director Brad Raider
2016, USA, Brad Raider, 108 min.
Playwright turned doorman of The Bedfellow Hotel, Dan Bender is reeling from the death of his little sister. In a sex-and-drug-filled odyssey through Manhattan, his desperate search for fulfillment reunites him with a childhood love and ultimately, catalyzes a consciousness-expanding journey of self-discovery.
About the Introducer
Brad Raider's work as an actor, filmmaker and teacher is rooted in a deep fascination with consciousness expansion. Having practiced and studied the art of meditation for the last decade as protégé to Vedic master Thom Knoles, he now teaches individuals and companies to meditate through his company MDT8. Raider graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, and now serves as co-artistic director of his L.A.-based theatre company, Red Dog Squadron. His film and television credits include starring roles on short-lived series, network pilots, and independent features. His directorial debut, Kensho at the Bedfellow, was shot in 30 locations around NYC (including the Rubin Museum) and is set to release on iTunes in early 2017.
JANUARY SHOP AND CAFÉ SPECIALS:
RUBIN SHOP
The finest artisanal goods from the Himalayas and across Asia-many unavailable elsewhere in the United States-can be found at the Rubin's shop. Favorite items include textiles, jewelry, home goods, children's gifts, spices, oils, and incense. The shop also carries the full line of Rubin Museum of Art publications.
CAFÉ SERAI
Café Serai features a menu inspired by the aromas and flavors of India, Tibet, and beyond. On Wednesday evenings from 6-9pm, the Café hosts Himalayan Happy Hour, featuring 10% off all menu items (15% off for members) and complimentary live music.
Winter Special: Rubin Reuben Momos
January 14th is National Pastrami Day! Although you won't be able to order pastrami on rye at Café Serai, get your corned beef and sauerkraut fix with our Rubin Reuben Momos. This New York spin on traditional Tibetan dumplings comes steamed or fried and served with Russian dressing.
K2 LOUNGE
On Friday nights, the Café transforms into the popular K2 Lounge from 6-10pm with a full bar, PanAsian tapas, a DJ, and more, along with complimentary gallery admission. Café Serai is open during Museum hours and does not require an admission ticket.
RubinMuseum.org/K2FridayNights
SPECIAL TOURS AND IN-GALLERY PROGRAMS:
SENIOR MONDAY
Monday, January 2, 2017; 11:00 AM-5:00 PM
For visitors 65 and older
On the first Monday of the month seniors (65 and older) receive free admission to the galleries. The day includes a range of free programs including a docent talk in our theater, gallery tours, and a writing workshop facilitated by writer and university professor Nina Goss.
VERBAL DESCRIPTION AND SENSORY TOUR
Saturday, January 7, 2017; 12:00-1:00 PM
For visitors who are blind or partially sighted
The Rubin Museum offers verbal description and sensory tours for visitors who are blind or partially sighted. These free tours, which include museum admission, are one hour in length and take visitors on a journey that weaves together the culture, history, religion, and art of the Himalayas.
Museum guides are specially trained to lead these tours, which allow participants to form visualizations of the art through close, careful descriptions as well as touch objects such as sculptures, art materials, woodblocks, and ritual implements. Reservations are required as space is limited.
MINDFUL CONNECTIONS
FOR VISITORS WITH DEMENTIA AND THEIR CAREGIVERS
Friday, January 20, 2017; 2:00-3:00 PM
Free with RSVP
Mindful Connections is a free tour program for people with dementia and their caregivers. Every month trained guides facilitate a gallery experience designed to promote engagement with works of art and each other. Visitors are encouraged to arrive at 1:30 p.m. for complimentary tea in Café Serai. Visit
The Rubin Museum of Art is an arts oasis and cultural hub in New York City's vibrant Chelsea neighborhood that inspires visitors to make powerful connections between contemporary life and the art and ideas of the Himalayas, India, and neighboring regions. With a diverse array of thought-provoking exhibitions and programs-including films, concerts, and on-stage conversations-the Rubin provides immersive experiences that encourage personal discoveries and spark new ways of seeing the world. Visit www.rubinmuseum.org for more.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride
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