One of the many reasons I love working at the Rubin is that the entire staff works really hard to be a community of learners. It’s not every institution that tries to go above and beyond daily tasks to share in new educative experiences that the entire staff can participate in. We currently have an exhibition called Embodying the Holy: Icons in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism on view, and our Chief Financial Officer, Marilena Christodoulou invited staff members to her Greek Orthodox church, the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. This was a perfect opportunity to share an up-close opportunity of seeing Greek Icons in context. Marilena was gracious enough to arrange two learning sessions with the Rev. Dr. Frank Marangos, Dean of the Archdiocesan Cathedral, on different days to help not only the educators, but all staff learn more about the incredible icons we have on display, and the context for which they are used. As the Head of Education, it makes me incredibly happy to not only see Educators attend these events, but representatives from each department, and even our Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Board, Shelley Rubin.
A Sampling of Departments on a Museum-Wide fieldtrip to learn more about Icons
This photo makes me incredibly happy because it shows curiosity about a new and foreign subject matter, and many folks are willing to look deeply, think deeply, and feel deeply about a variety of artworks abroad from their initial field of interest (it also shows good use of free exploration time during a tour!). I personally learned so much about icons by being a part of the trip and I definitely have a broadened respect for Greek Icons, and if you are ever in NYC, the Cathedral is worth visiting.
The field trip made me think so deeply, not just about the art we personally have on display, but my own self and history with spirituality (I went to Catholic School for 12 years, but never learned about the differences between Catholicism, and Greek Orthodoxy- Father Frank was nice enough to give us a quick overview), and the also gained a new respect for my predominantly Greek neighborhood (I’ve lived in Astoria for 9 years, and have never ventured into a Greek Church). It was a good reminder on how field trips can open up the imagination to new experiences. Has your entire staff gone on a visit together? What opportunities would this type of experience create?