Curatorial Updates from Asia Week

Since 2009, Asia Week has brought together Asian art specialists, curators, museums, cultural institutions, and more to celebrate and promote Asian art in New York City. As a leader in the field, the Rubin has consistently participated in Asia Week by hosting events that convene Himalayan art thought leaders and constituents at our former 150 West 17th Street building. While the Rubin’s contribution looked slightly different this year after closing our building last fall, it was equally meaningful.

On March 17 the Rubin hosted a curator luncheon at the Henry Luce Foundation, welcoming curators from museums in Maryland, Texas, New York, Kansas, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Oregon. The event featured roundtable conversations on current topics related to presenting Tibetan and Himalayan art in museums, including questions of representation, cultural appropriation, and referencing historical sites and objects. The Rubin’s executive director Jorrit Britschgi, and senior curators Karl Debreczeny and Elena Pakhoutova also shared information about the Rubin’s efforts to strengthen and further the field of Himalayan art, such as grants for artists and researchers, the flagship educational initiative Project Himalayan Art, an expanded collection sharing program, partnerships with organizations like the Brooklyn Museum, and more.