Himalayan Happy Hour at the Rubin Museum

Join us for a peak experience on a wintry Friday night!

Our evening will start at K2, the sleek lounge in the Rubin Museum of Art, with a much needed end-of-week drink! The bar is named for K2, the second-highest mountain on earth, a mere 778 feet shorter than Mount Everest. Located in the Karakoram segment of the Himalayas, K2 has a reputation for being almost insurmountable. For those searching for a journey closer to home, the K2 Lounge at Rubin Museum of Art is the ideal destination.

The Outdoor Bound group will enjoy a complimentary cocktail and conversation; live music and DJs; and finally a private tour through the galleries, centered around a special exhibition of sacred art from Bhutan. The RMA is situated in the original Barney’s location, which makes for dramatic presentation of the treasures within.

The Museum

The Rubin Museum of Art—one of our favorite museums in New York—houses an esteemed collection of Himalayan art. The paintings, pictorial textiles and sculpture are drawn from cultures that touch upon the 1,800-mile arc of mountains extending from Afghanistan in the northwest to Myanmar (Burma) in the southeast and includes Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia and Bhutan. The larger Himalayan cultural sphere, determined by significant cultural exchange over millennia, includes Iran, India, China, Central Asia and Southeast Asia.

The rich cultural legacy of this region, largely unfamiliar to Western viewers, offers an uncommon opportunity for visual adventure and aesthetic discovery. It is an environment in which to encounter the unknown and find meaningful dialogue. It requires actively bringing to bear one’s previous experience, looking closely at the material at hand, discriminating carefully and shaping the imagination. The fundamental aim of the Museum is to provide this adventure in learning through art.

Located in the original Barney’s location, the museum makes dramatic use of its architectural bones. Learn more about the amazing sacred treasures from Bhutan.

The Music

Harlem in the Himalayas is a series of Himalayan art-inspired jazz concerts presented with The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Naked Soul is an eclectic, all-acoustic music series which riffs off of the themes inherent in Himalayan art. Presented with WFUV, Naked Soul singer-songwriters select images from the works of Himalayan art in RMA’s collection to illustrate their performance. The performances starts at 7 PM and take place in the Theater.

Event Details

• Who Present and future Outdoor Bounders — everyone is welcome!
• What Happy hour; drink specials; private tour; optional movie in Cabaret Cinema onsite
• When 6:00 PM
• 6:00 - 7:00: Happy Hour at K2 Lounge: first drink free; 2-for-1 cocktail specials, appetizers and a DJ spinning fusion music
• 7:00 - 8:30: Private tour of the galleries
• 7:00 - 8:30: Live music in the Theater: Harlem in the Himalayas alternates with Naked Soul
• 7:30 - 8:30: Walk and talk in the galleries with an eclectic mix of artists, authors, storytellers, scholars and RMA guides, varying each week
• 9:30 - late: Cabaret Cinema film screening in the Theater (free with $7 bar purchase)
• Where Rubin Museum of Art, West 17th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues)

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