The Healing Power of
ART By: Rona Davis
Healing Practices: Stories from Himalayan Americans opened on March 18, 2022 at the Rubin Museum, and will be on view until January 16, 2023 with free admissions every Friday. Tickets are required and timed to avoid crowding. A plethora of resources to incorporate well-being into our daily routines are available on the museum’s website. In the Healing Practices Issue of the Rubin Museum’s Magazine, Spiral, two members of the advisory group who played an instrumental part in the collaboration of the current exhibit are featured. The advisory group comprises artists, medical professionals, spiritual leaders, activists, educators, and art therapists. In the interview, Dr. Kunga Wangdue and Pema Dorjee, a registered nurse and the current president of the Tibetan Nurses Association, share their firsthand experiences. They discuss how they responded to the Himalayan and Tibetan communities in Queens during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they incorporate compassion into their daily routine of caring for others. Both practitioners drew parallels between art and compassion and art as healing, and they inspired me to consider the relevance of art in our current societal crisis. What can we learn from ancient practices that relied on art to heal, and why is there a prevalent need to support the arts? How can art strengthen our communities? Organizations are growing in support of the arts within our communities. One of several examples is Queens Rising. This initiative emerged from the Arts Advisory Board of Kupferberg Center at Queens College with a mission to give exposure to underrepresented artists, as well as to serve as a hub that connects artists, venues, and businesses and promotes the boroughs of Queens and beyond. Other organizations like Citizen Racecar help brands create compelling content to inspire new interactions. We are all racing to put art, creativity, and inspiration back on the plate of our daily lives. Tibetan Buddhism may not be for everyone. We don’t have to share the same passion for the arts. Creativity may not come easily for everyone. Healing can be experienced through the subtle joy or ecstasy that stems from creating a piece of art— the arrangement on a plate—a journal entry. This may seem underwhelming to some, but it seems like we’re creating change through a new way of living. I’ve understood Queens as the most diverse neighborhood in the United States. Still, it wasn’t until I learned about the unique ways the Tibetan and Himalayan communities in Queens came together during a time of crisis that I began to grasp how little I knew about my borough. I thank the Rubin Museum for their response to a society in dire need of addressing the medical and mental health crises, for the tools to live with compassion for ourselves and each other.
20 THIS IS QUEENSBOROUGH
AUGUST 2022
FESTIVAL OF CINEMA NYC returns for its 6th year, as a live in-person 10-day event, August 5 - August 14. Taking place at the Regal UA Midway theater and the Queens Library in Forest Hills, Queens, FOC NYC will showcase 124 of the best independent films from more than 25 countries. Over 90 filmmakers anticipated to be in attendance. The premiere rich film festival includes 12 world premieres, 7 North American premieres, and 13 East Coast premieres. Screenings of shortand feature length films in all genres include documentaries, dramas, come dies, thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, children, family and more.
