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 the final episode of the week, Jamie Lawyer introduces us to a painting of the enlightened being Vajrayogini, surrounded by her fellow dakinis (sky goers). Then Kate Johnson leads a meditation to explore how we can be inspired to go with the flow and embrace movement.
Bodhisattva Maitreya; Tibet or China; 17th - 18th century; Pigments on cloth; 58 1/2 × 32 1/2 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.34
Mahasiddha Naropa; Kham Province, Eastern Tibet; 19th century; Pigments on cloth; 52 1/4 × 33 1/8 × 1 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Purchased from the Collection of Navin Kumar, New York; C2005.20.4
Kanha; Central Tibet; 16th century; Copper alloy; 14 1/8 × 9 7/8 × 8 1/4 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2003.23.4
Four Mandalas of the Vajravali Cycle; Ewam Choden Monastery, Tsang Province, Central Tibet; 1429-1456; Pigments on cloth; 36 × 30 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2007.6.1
Buddha Vajradhara with the Great Tantric Masters (Mahasiddhas); Central Tibet; 15th century; Pigments on cloth; 35 1/2 × 29 1/4 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2003.50.1
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.