Museum Guides, Docents, and Tours
Museum Guides & Docents
The knowledgable and professional Guides at the Rubin Museum of Art make Himalayan art accessible through gallery exploration, assisted looking, storytelling, and other engaging methods of investigation and discovery. Guides are available on the gallery floors to discuss the styles and techniques, histories, cultures, and religious aspects of the art.
The Rubin Museum of Art also has an extensive volunteer docent program which trains interested, informative museum educators to take part in the tours and on-floor conversations about Himalayan art. For further information on this volunteer opportunity, please visit our docent page.
Gallery Talks & Tours
Highlights Tour
Daily at 3:00 p.m. (except Tuesday)
For visitors new to Himalayan art and those already familiar with its iconography and expression, a Highlights tour provides a survey of the museum’s collection, with varying themes offered each day. Tours last approximately one hour. Sample tours include Ornamentation in Himalayan Art, The Bodhisattva: The Savior Figure in Himalayan Art, and Objects and Obstacles in Himalayan Art. Highlights tours are free with museum admission and do not require reservations.
Exhibition Tour
Daily at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. (except Tuesday)
Join a museum guide for an in-depth exploration of one temporary exhibition on view. The 4pm Exhibition tour always features the newest exhibition, while the 1pm Exhibition tour varies each day. Tours last approximately thirty minutes. Exhibition tours are free with museum admission and do not require reservations.
Five Minute Focus Tours
The Five Minute Focus Tours offers visitors a brief introduction to one work of art from the museum's collection at the top of each hour. Join Rubin Museum guides and docents to discover compelling stories and rich histories behind individual works of Himalayan art with new insights every hour. Tour meets in the spiral lobby.
Talkingstick at RMA
Every second Friday of the month at 8:30 p.m.
Talkingstick at RMA features writers, actors, comedians, and performers sharing true stories inspired by artwork from the Rubin Museum of Art collection, alongside museum guides who share stories from within the rich oral traditions of the Himalayas. Funny, sad, poignant, and cutting, Talkingstick at RMA provides opportunities to explore various perspectives on Himalayan art while experiencing the spontaneous and dynamic world of storytelling. Talkingstick at RMA is held monthly in the galleries of the museum, with our Talkingstick colleagues, Master Lee and Mr. Patrick.
Friday Night Gallery Talks
Guides at the Rubin Museum of Art hold Friday Night Gallery Talks throughout the year exploring key ideas in Himalayan art, culture and peoples. Previous Gallery Talks have included: Terma: The Ultimate Treasure Hunt; Textiles of South Asia and the Himalayas; Demystifying Tantra; Durga: The Offspring of Rage; Unmasking Tibetan Ritual, and many others.
Post-Lunch Matters Tour
Film at 1:00 p.m., tour immediately following
After the Wednesday Lunch Matters Film follow a guide through Rubin Museum galleries highlighting lunch matters themes.
