For the third week of The Rubin Daily Offering, meditation teacher and sustainability coach Kate Johnson joins the Rubin’s Chief Experience Officer Jamie Lawyer to explore how the gestures, mudras, and postures seen in artworks at the Rubin Museum can inspire us to be present in our bodies during challenging times.
In this episode, Jamie Lawyer introduces us to a sculpture of the Hindu goddess Durga killing the buffalo demon. Then Kate Johnson leads a meditation to explore how Durga can inspire us to embody courageous compassion and fierce love.
Durga Killing the Buffalo Demon (Durga Mahisasuramardini); Nepal; 12th-13th century; Gilt copper alloy; 11 × 13 1/8 × 7 1/2 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.11
Two-sided Festival Banner of Varunani and Varahi; Nepal; 17th or 18th century; Pigments on cloth; 36 1/4 × 29 7/8 × 1 1/2 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2007.19.1
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (After Situ Panchen's (1700–1774) set of Eight Great Bodhisattvas); Kham Province, Eastern Tibet; 19th century; Pigments on cloth; 39 1/2 × 20 3/4 × 1/2 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2008.9
Kashmira; Kashmir, India; 10th century; Copper alloy with inlays of silver; 8 3/4 × 5 × 2 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.5
Siddhi Lakshmi; Nepal; Dated by inscription 1796; Pigments on cloth; 33 7/8 × 24 3/4 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2003.38.2
Kate Johnson works at the intersections of spiritual practice, social action, and creativity. She has been practicing Buddhist meditation in the Western Insight/Theravada tradition since her early twenties and is empowered to teach through Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She holds a BFA in dance from the Alvin Ailey School/Fordham University, and MA in performance studies from NYU.
Kate is a core faculty member of MIT’s Presencing Institute, and has trained hundreds of leaders and change-makers in using Social Presencing Theater, a mindfulness and dance improvisation methodology used to inform strategic planning and systems change in our complex world.
Jamie Lawyer is the chief experience officer at the Rubin Museum of Art. She previously served as the head of interpretation, digital learning, and evaluation for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.
Get the latest news and stories from the Rubin, plus occasional information on how to support our work.