Drawing Stories

Whether we draw, speak, sing, or write them down, our stories have the power to heal. Join the Yakpo Collective and Tibetan community educator Dr. Tenzin Mingyur Paldron for an evening of artmaking and storytelling, inspired by the exhibition Healing Practices: Stories from Himalayan Americans.

After an evening of drop-in sketching led by Yakpo, Dr. Mingyur invites a dynamic group of artists, educators, and activists in meaningful conversation, centering stories of identity, ancestry, and belonging. This intergenerational story-share invites audience participation, and those who are sketching are invited to continue drawing during the conversation. Sketch-viewing follows the program.

Experience how creativity and self-reflection offer avenues towards healing, connection, and celebration.

6:00 PM K2 Lounge: Sketch-and-sip as the Yakpo Collective offers drawing prompts and DJ Tikka Masala spins tunes through the night.

6:30 PM Galleries: Pre-program tour of Healing Practices.

7:30 PM Theater: Story share guided by Dr. Mingyur, with stories and songs by singer Yeshi Khando, activist Anna Tsomo, members of the Yakpo Collective, and those in the audience who wish to share. Pay-what-you-wish tickets are required.

9:00 PM Art Lounge: Sketch-viewing.

Dr. Tenzin Mingyur Paldron is a Tibetan and transgender community educator who teaches and speaks on ethical mindfulness, gender identity, and transnational issues. Born in New Delhi and raised in Colorado and Washington State, Dr. Mingyur holds a PhD in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley. He currently lives in Brooklyn. Dr. Mingyur’s past talks include “Transgender Road Diaries: A Tibetan adventure”, “Wellness and Social Change: An LGBT+ case study”, and “Language, Gender Identity, and Power”. He’s a 2022 Writing as Activism Fellow with the NYC Literary Action Coalition and PEN America. Dr. Mingyur has a variable speech disability that he navigates through cooperative conversation. You can learn more about him at www.paldron.net.

Yakpo Collective provides a creative platform that showcases contemporary artworks by Tibetan artists. Our aims include but are not limited to: challenging the confines of mainstream media’s portrayal of the Tibetan diaspora, encouraging dialogues on how art can serve as a vehicle for cultural expression as well as preservation, and fostering an engaging environment for the youth and older generations alike to participate in the arts. We exhibit works of art beyond how the mainstream media portrays the Tibetan diaspora. Yakpo Collective’s name is inspired by what is vital to Tibetan experience and identity: Our ethics, our creature companions, and our sense of humor. Yakpo means “good.” www.yakpocollective.com

Lead support for the Rubin Museum is provided by The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Noah P. Dorsky, Fred Eychaner, Christopher J. Fussner, Agnes Gund, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global, Henry Luce Foundation, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Rasika and Girish Reddy, Shelley and Donald Rubin, Tiger Baron Foundation, and Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation.

General operating support of the Rubin Museum of Art is provided by John and Daphne Cunningham, Anne E. Delaney, Dalio Philanthropies, the Estate of Lisina M. Hoch, Andres Mata, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, Inc., The Prospect Hill Foundation, Basha Rubin and Scott Grinsell, Linda Schejola, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Tong-Tong Zhu and Jianing Liu, with generous donations from the Museum’s Board of Trustees, individual donors and members, and corporate and foundation supporters.

Major support for Healing Practices: Stories from Himalayan Americans is provided by The Prospect Hill Foundation as well as by generous donations from the Museum’s Board of Trustees, individual donors, and members.

Public funds are provided by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.