Shelley Frost Rubin

Shelley Frost Rubin at the Rubin Museum of Art, NY (MIreya Aclarto (Getty Images))

What motivates Shelley Frost Rubin? It is simply art and its intersection with social engagement. The results of her interests have been extraordinary. Together with her husband, Rubin has amassed an impressive collection of Asian sacred art that has resulted in the 2004 creation of The Rubin Museum of Art in New York City that highlights the relevance of the art and culture from the Himalayas, India and the surrounding areas. More recently, she has the founded of A Blade Of Grass in 2011, an organization whose mission is to nurture socially engaged art. It is a unique foundation that supports fellowships for community involved artists.

Mandala of Amitayus (The Rubin Museum of Art (The Rubin Museom of Art))

Having benefited from an early interest in art and beauty, Shelley Rubin understands the power of art, its humanity. She believes that art tells stories, allows us to re-imagine our lives and that it creates community. The Rubin Museum of Art is a welcoming space, an oasis and a vibrant collection of meaningful ritual artifacts from Asia presented together with unique exhibitions of contemporary objects that enrich the museum's mission and programming. Its mission is to collect, display and preserve the art and culture of the Himalayas and neighboring regions. The individual exhibition spaces within the museum are beautifully designed and richly colored in order to create the mood for appreciating the shrines, sculptures, thangkas and other ceremonial objects found there. The staff creates appropriate educational programming for all ages around this unique collection and the Rubin Museum of Art has become a center of global cultural learning cultures in Manhattan. A visit to the Rubin includes guides in the galleries, American Sign Language tours, verbal imaging and touch tours, and wheelchair accessibility.

Welcoming Sculpture in the Galleries at RMA ( (The Rubin Museum of Art)

At a recent to visit to the Rubin Museum of Art, I appreciated the physical layout of the museum including the colors of the walls and the care with which the works of art are installed. These design elements intensified the impact of the individual sacred artifacts, paintings and sculptures.I spent time in the Shrine Room which is isolated in a separate space to encourage personal devotion and meditation.Each area of the museum has supportive educational materials that help the viewer to understand the country of origin and the subject depicted in the individual exhibits. The museum opens up a world from faraway lands that is mythic, sacred, and ritualistic.

2016 A Blade of Grass Artists Fellows (A Blade of Grass.org)

A Blade of Grass (ABOG) is an organization that generously supports and mentors that small slice of the art world composed of artists who specifically use their talents to change the lives of people around them. Rubin founded this new non profit and has garnered an impressive array of supportive Board members to help promote her important ideas about art in society. ABOG artist/teachers demonstrate how empowering art can be to individuals within their local communities and expand the audience for art. Artist/performers use symbols and rituals to create events that bring different segments of their communities together. These examples are from the pool of talented activist artists that are enlisted by Rubin's organization to create a unique dialogue in contemporary art. A Blade of Grass is dedicated to sponsoring artists who are committed to expanding the relationship between art and life

A Blade of Grass logo ( A Blade of Grass.org )