Photo by Jessica Rossi-Katz
Photo by Jessica Rossi-Katz
In early April, the Rubin traveled to California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) to lead a series of Mandala Lab Workshops for students, faculty, and community members. The series was in partnership with CSUSM’s Center for Contemplative Practices, a longstanding mindfulness initiative that aims to bring presence, compassion, and connection into the heart of university life. The workshop series arrived at the very moment stressed-out students needed it most: the week before finals.
Photo by Jessica Rossi-Katz
Inspired by Tibetan Buddhist teachings, the 14 workshops guided over 300 attendees through the five sections of the Mandala Lab: Pride, Attachment, Envy, Anger, and Ignorance. Participants used their senses to guide them through a transformative journey, inspiring them to get curious about their emotions to see themselves with greater clarity and ethical purpose.
Led by Mandala Lab curator Tim McHenry, the Museum’s Mandala Lab Workshops are participatory and playful and include engaging activities such as a mirror exercise to explore Pride; a synchronized breathing activity for Envy; and dipping a gong in water to investigate Anger.
Photo by Jessica Rossi-Katz
Photo by Jessica Rossi-Katz
“What makes the workshops effective is that they are experienced as a group,” said McHenry. “The Mandala Lab charts a journey arc from the ‘me’ of pride to the ‘we’ of collaborative action. To experience this in real time, with testimonials from participants in the circle, is direct and visceral.”
Students reflected on their experience, revealing a deeper sense of awareness and compassion in the aftermath of the workshop:
“It brought me some clarity and made me face and think about things that I never really realized or thought of before. Something that I took out of this experience is don’t let your emotions define who you are. This is something that I really needed to hear.”
“I learned so much about envy. Before I thought it was something bad to feel about or towards someone or something. But now I know that this feeling can be something else. I loved that envy can be a way of wisdom or motivation. I didn’t see it like that before.”
Photo by Jessica Rossi-Katz
Interested in bringing a Mandala Lab Workshop in your community? Get in touch at [email protected].
Tim McHenry is a founding Rubin staff member and was in charge of programs at the Museum for its first 20 years. He specializes in art-contextual experiences that break the traditional mold, presenting audiences with what the Huffington Post has called “some of the most original and inspired programs on the arts and consciousness in New York City.”
McHenry’s public programs have explored the wider significance of the Rubin’s objects and collection of Himalayan art through music, film, performance, immersive engagements, and intimate conversations. He is the curator of the Mandala Lab, an interactive installation that was on view at the Rubin in New York City from 2021 to 2024. A traveling version went to Bilbao, London, and Milan.
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