Rubin Museum of Art

The Rubin’s 2026 Projects and Exhibitions

January 21, 2026
two adults look at the Rubin Museum Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room at the Brooklyn Museum

Photo by Filip Wolak

Dear Rubin Community,

As a global museum, the Rubin has expanded its offerings across the country and around the world to bring Himalayan art to more people, in more places, than ever before. In the last year we’ve inspired and supported students, scholars, artists, art enthusiasts, and the public in cities from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Dharamsala, India, amplifying our mission in new ways. Through in-person experiences in museums, public spaces, and classrooms, and online offerings that educate and connect, we’ve cemented our decentralized operating model. I’m inspired by this work and what we accomplished.

Looking forward to another ambitious year ahead, I am pleased to share a series of anchor exhibitions, programs, and strategic initiatives for 2026, as the Rubin embarks on its second year as a global, decentralized institution.

2026 highlights include the traveling exhibition Gateway to Himalayan Art opening at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene, Oregon, and the USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California. In New York, About a Living Culture, the public art sculpture by Nepalese artist IMAGINE (a.k.a. Sneha Shrestha) in collaboration with the New York City Department of Transportation art program (NYC DOT Art), is extended through September. Also in New York, the Rubin Museum Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room remains on view at the Brooklyn Museum as part of a six-year partnership.

With a focus on education, the Rubin continues to serve New York City grade-school students with the Mandala Lab in Your Classroom program, which uses Himalayan art, mindfulness techniques, and interdisciplinary and tactile learning to help students develop critical life skills. In higher education, the Rubin expands the Project Himalayan Art digital platform, featuring essays, videos, images, and audio, with new resources for faculty and students. The resources in Project Himalayan Art lay the foundation for Columbia University’s new and only Tibetan art-focused seminar course for the spring semester, developed by the Rubin’s curators.

As part of the Museum’s efforts to provide more opportunities for artists and scholars of Himalayan art, the Rubin opens its third cycle of research and art project grants on February 16 and will announce the winner of the 2026 Rubin Museum Himalayan Art Prize in the fall. Multimedia initiatives continue with the tenth issue of Spiral magazine and the sixth season of the AWAKEN podcast, both exploring the theme of wrath from the Buddhist perspective.

Whether you visit an exhibition, apply for a grant, explore our multimedia publication and learning resources, or subscribe to our newsletter, I hope you will stay connected to our work throughout the year as we promote awareness, cultivate learning and understanding, and foster meaningful connections to the Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian regions in exciting new ways.

With anticipation,

Jorrit-Signature

Jorrit Britschgi, Executive Director

Read more in the press release

Headshot of Jorrit Britschgi

Jorrit Britschgi has served as the Rubin Museum’s Executive Director since 2017. Before joining the Rubin, he served as Head of Exhibitions and Publications at the Museum Rietberg in Zurich, Switzerland, where he was manager of the exhibitions program and curated numerous exhibitions. Mr. Britschgi also served as publisher of Artibus Asiae, one of the leading scholarly journals in Asian art and archaeology, for over a decade.

Jorrit Britschgi graduated from Zurich University with an MA in art history and Sinology (2005) and a PhD, with highest honors, in East Asian Art History (2009). Besides his research activities, he’s taken part in archaeological excavations in Eastern China and Bhutan, and curated numerous exhibitions on paintings from the Indian Himalayan region. Mr. Britschgi has received grants from federal and private foundations to pursue his studies and research. He is a 2017 alumni of the Getty Leadership Institute, and shares his expertise in an advisory capacity with other museums and individuals.

Published January 21, 2026

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Project Himalayan Art
This flagship educational initiative encourages the widespread incorporation of Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian art and cultures in undergraduate curricula, and also presents Himalayan art to the general public.
Grant Program
The Rubin supports artists, creatives, and scholars in the field of Himalayan art with a grant program that expands awareness and understanding of Himalayan art globally.
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Mandala Lab in Your Classroom
Sign up for a free program available to New York City K–12 schools and led by a Rubin educator that aims to cultivate emotional awareness and compassion in the classroom through Himalayan art.

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