Danielle Hillanbrand
Docent since 2016
While getting my master’s degree in art history and museum education at Brooklyn College, I went to the Rubin for a site visit. The atmosphere of the Museum made the collection come alive, and I was instantly enamored. Docents and museum educators usually ask a lot of questions to generate discussion around works of art, but it’s most exciting when visitors begin to ask questions and create a discussion among themselves. It is fulfilling to facilitate that kind of learning experience.
Typically leads tours:
Wednesdays and Thursdays
Favorite tour themes:
Animals; Mindful Connections (a tour for visitors with dementia)
As somebody who spends a good amount of time looking at pictures and videos of baby animals, I love giving animal-themed tours. Animals are relatable and awe-inspiring, easily sparking the imagination and active discussion surrounding Buddhism and its art. Animals are a part of our landscape in America, and those in the Himalayas share their homes and land with animals, too. I also love the stories our young visitors tell me about the hybrid animal forms they create in a drawing activity I pair with this themed tour.