Family Sundays

Ages 3 and older with accompanying adults

Family Sundays are in person at the Rubin! Bring your family to the Mandala Lab on the third floor for an afternoon of creativity and self-exploration that both kids and grown-ups will enjoy.

Join us at 1:00 PM in the theater for Story Time with Anu Sehgal, the founder and president of The Culture Tree, followed by a special meditation with Lama Aria Drolma. The meditation is specifically designed for an early childhood audience, and will include mindful movement with Nina Srivastava. Choose a 1:00 PM Family Sunday ticket to reserve your spot for the Story Time and Meditation in the theater.

The Obstacle Illusions art-making activity will be ongoing in the Mandala Lab, 1:00–3:00 PM.

September Family Sundays:

The Hindu deity Ganesha is revered as the remover of obstacles. When Ganesha lost his tusk, he turned that challenge into an opportunity. This month we discover the power of perception by creating our own optical illusions. We reflect on how the obstacles in our own lives can be viewed as gifts, depending on how we look at them.

Lama Aria Drolma is an ordained Buddhist teacher in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, who has completed over a decade of monastic study and meditation training. She is a graduate of the traditional Tibetan Buddhist retreat program spanning three years and three months, an advanced cloistered meditation training program at Palpung Thubten Choling Monastery, New York.

Lama Aria Drolma teaches worldwide, leading retreats, workshops, and corporate meditation programs and is a popular guest speaker at universities and organizations. She emphasizes Vajrayana Buddhism and Buddhist principles, making them relevant in our everyday lives, helping us to cultivate loving kindness and compassion, and bringing about a transformation of contentment and a genuine sense of well-being.

Nina Srivastava is a writer, director, and dancer. She began training at a young age in the Indian classical dance form, Bharatanatyam, which is based on spiritual ideas and stories. Nina’s award-winning works have been featured on Disney+, Hotstar, and SonyLIV. She’s directed short films, ads, and music videos and is the founder of Eastside Dance Drama, an initiative that focuses on vibrant stories that celebrate South Asian experiences. With her vast repertoire of skills and unwavering dedication to her craft, Nina continues to make a name for herself as a multi-faceted artist with a unique voice and perspective.

Anu Sehgal is the founder of The Culture Tree, a cultural literacy and language education program. She lives in New York with her husband and her two sons. She is a marketer by profession. She holds an MBA from Yale University and has worked in the corporate sector for almost 15 years. Anu believes awareness of one’s heritage, culture, and language is key for children to become self-aware and confident individuals.

Story Time is presented in partnership with The Culture Tree, an organization that provides South Asian–themed educational and cultural programs that enrich the lives of children and their families and promote a deeper connection with their roots and the world around them.

Mandala Lab and Family Sundays are made possible with lead support from the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Barbara Bowman, Fred Eychaner, Noah P. Dorsky, the Estate of Lisina M. Hoch, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, Rasika and Girish Reddy, Shelley and Donald Rubin, and Tiger Baron Foundation.

Major support is provided by Bob and Lois Baylis, Sara and Joseph Bedrick, Anne and Albert Chao, Con Edison, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Anne E. Delaney, DeWitt Stern, Karen Dorsky, Jack Lampl, Max Meehan, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Sarah and Craig Richardson, Basha Frost Rubin and Scott Grinsell, the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, Namita and Arun Saraf, Linda Schejola, Eric and Alexandra Schoenberg, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Tsherin Sherpa, Jesse Smith and Annice Kenan, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and New York Life Insurance Company*, and New York Life.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

We additionally thank the generosity of 223 sponsors and donors who contributed to our 2020 gala, Inside the Mandala: A Virtual Gala.

*“NEW YORK LIFE” and the NEW YORK LIFE Box Logo are trademarks of New York Life Insurance Company. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.