Ashley Frenkel, our guest blogger, is an Education intern at the Rubin Museum where she assists with Adult & Academic Programs. Ashley is a junior at New York University where she majors in Art History.

The Rubin Museum of Art’s Tibetan Shrine Room reflects the Ancient Nyingma Tibetan Buddhist tradition. By understanding the pieces that comprise this room, one can come to understand just how important rooms like these are in the practices and theology of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Tall Offering Table seen above from the 19^th century is hand painted wood with birds and dragons carved and highlighted by vibrant shades of blue, gold, orange and green. The dragon motif, borrowed from China, is joined with Tibetan elements of floral patterning. This offering table is not only aesthetically beautiful but functional. As you can gather from its name, this table is used for supporting offerings and ritual items during ceremonies…

such as this silver ewer, pictured above, also decorated with dragons.

Drums, cymbals, and conch shells supply sound and rhythm for rituals.

The sweet, smoky scent of incense lingers in the air, having permeated these objects after many years of use, exemplified by the incense burner below. You can taste the smoke on your tongue. It, too, is decorated with dragons.

The metal sculptures of deities, paintings, instruments, cloth banners, and ritual objects engage the fives senses, leading practitioners to the final sixth sense, the mind. With decades of dedicated practice, Tibetan Buddhists aim to access the subtle insight of the awakened mind.

If you visit the Museum, don’t forget to explore the rest of the Shrine Room objects using the interactive touch screens outside the door.

The Shrine Room opened in 2013 and will rotate its display every two years to allow for the presentation of three other Tibetan religious traditions as well: Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug.

Anne Brink, Rubin Museum Visitor Experience Associate, offers some end of the year reflections on International Mountain Day:

Beyond the front doors of the Rubin Museum, a familiar city landscape awaits. Dedicated to the art of the Himalayan Asia, the Rubin has a unique opportunity to invite visitors to explore inspiring landscapes within the Museum and the world beyond.

 In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly designated December 11^th as International Mountain Day with an aim to raise awareness and support of sustainable economic growth in mountainous regions. No other region better embodies these goals than the Himalayas, in particular, Tibet.

With an average elevation of 16,000 ft., Tibet is the highest region on earth. The English word Tibet is derived from the Turkic Tobad, which literally means “The Heights.” Mountains are  deeply engrained into Tibetan religious practice. Mount Kailash, located in the western Himalayas, is sacred to four religions–Bon, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

 For Hindus, Kailash is the mountain abode of the Lord Shiva, who can be seen dancing his cosmic dance on the Museum’s 6^th floor. For Buddhists, Kailash is the spiritual home of Chakrasamvara, the deity of supreme bliss, located on the Museum’s 3^rd floor.

In fact, the symbol of the mountain is vibrantly present at the Museum. Standing in the lobby and looking up the spiral staircase, the architecture soars upward, guiding our visitors on a pilgrimage of knowledge, insight, and beauty.

 The 2013 International Mountain Day theme is “Key to a Sustainable Future.” Important “keys” include supporting mining regulations that do not infringe upon heritage sites; preventing spiritual sites from being climbed and eroded from too much foot traffic; and allowing native peoples continued access to these grounds. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to think about landscapes that move, inspire, and give us a renewed perspective on life.

Tashi Chodron, Coordinator of Adult & Academic Outreach Programs, and Harry Einhorn, part-time Rubin Museum Guide, are the hosts of a monthly Himalayan Heritage Meet Up. This is what Harry has to say about this exciting new program:

On Friday, December 6^th the Rubin Museum hosted the second meeting of the newly-formed Himalayan Heritage Group in our Education Center and gallery floors. This new group is aimed at providing a space within the Museum where Himalayan people and their western friends can meet, exchange ideas, and learn from each other.

We were happy to welcome nearly twenty people at our second gathering; some of our participants were born in the west, while others hailed from Nepal, India, Bhutan, and within Tibet itself. Our group was multilingual, multicultural, and intergenerational, reflecting the diversity of Himalayan experience and those who have been influenced by it.

We all met in the Museum’s K2 lounge and headed up to the current fifth floor exhibit, “The Flip Side,” where we were treated to a bilingual tour by Tashi Chodron followed by a lively scavenger hunt. The first prize? A stuffed Yak from our shop! We then headed over to the education center where we socialized over the latest Tibetan pop music, gave out prizes, and discussed ideas for future meetings.

It was a lovely evening, with old friends catching up and new connections being made. We are excited to help it grow, provide a forum for more activities, art making, films, Tibetan language tours, and conversation. The group meets on the first Friday of the month; our next meeting is January 3rd and all are welcome!

If you are interested, please contact Tashi Chodron, TChodron@rmanyc.org, or Harry Einhorn, HEinhorn@rmanyc.org,to be put on our mailing list!

Ashley Frenkel, our guest blogger, is an Education intern at the Rubin Museum where she assists with Adult & Academic Programs. Ashley is a junior at New York University where she majors in Art History.

Ashley Frenkel: Sepia tinged photographs are what I expected to see when visiting Allegory and Illusion: Early Portrait Photography from South Asia, the Rubin Museum’s newest exhibition. In fact, the majority of photographs are painted, either entirely or partially, often with rich and luminous colors, and men and women are often adorned in bedazzled costumes, accentuating their social status.

Traditionally portraits are used to preserve a person’s legacy by capturing their likeness. In this exhibition, portraits capture the oddities of life and the exotic from a variety of regions, including Burma, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal.

Cross dressing eunuchs (hijras) of India, and The Hairy Family of Nepal, are two particularly interesting examples. Although the Hairy Family had a genetic mutation that resulted in their bodies being covered completely with hair, especially their faces, they lived in the Nepalese royal palace, and their touch was thought to bring good luck to the royal family.

Taking a photograph in the 19^th century was by no means as easy as it is today; as confirmed by an enormous period camera and delicate glass negatives on display. The juxtaposition of original photographs, as well as their painted counterparts, both highlight the creative process. The final stage of one type of viewing process is conveyed with a hands-on object: an antique stereoscopic viewer held up to the light reveals how two photos can be seen as one seamless, three-dimensional image.

Aside from the abundance of learning opportunities, which I love due to my art history dorkiness, is the opportunity to interact with the exhibition. I mentioned the handheld stereoscopic viewer, but there is also a chance to take a photo against a painted background inspired from those in the exhibition. You can have your photo e-mailed to yourself and submit it to the Rubin Museum to become a part of the compilation of portraits.

By exploring the allegories, cultures, and concepts these pieces represent and the layered techniques used to express them, you will come to understand how 19^th century Southeast Asian photography can be viewed through multiple interpretative lenses.

So whether you’re an art history buff like me, or a gender studies, political science, anthropology, communications, visual arts or anything-else-kind-of-studies-person, this exhibition is for you.