What better way to start your day than by silently appreciating some world class art? That’s the thought, at least, behind the new “Quiet Mornings” initiative at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, launched earlier this month in collaboration with Flavorpill.
On Wednesday mornings throughout the month, the museum is opening early, at 7:30 a.m. It’s being billed as an “intimate event,” and limited tickets are available, priced at $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for students, and free for members and children 16 and under.
“Imagine having our collection galleries all to your self,” wrote the Museum in a Tumblr post announcing the new hours. “Our fourth- and fifth-floor collection galleries will be open, offering a rare chance to look slowly, clear your mind, silence your phone, and get inspiration for the day and week ahead.”
It’s a tempting offer, especially for those of us who have visited the museum on its perennially popular free Fridays, which are overrun by tourists and locals alike.
“Enjoy the serenity of being surrounded by Claude Monet’s monumental Water Lilies, find space for personal reflection in the minimalist canvases of Agnes Martin, or see the sublime in the colors of Mark Rothko,” the museum added on the program website.
Maggie Lyko, the institution’s director of special events, told Well and Good that MoMA “has had a long history of events aimed at helping busy New Yorkers slow down.” She hopes it is a peaceful experience that will leave guests centered.
Each session ends with the chance for guided meditation, held in the garden lobby overlooking the sculpture garden, between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. The October 12 instructor, Biet Simkin, was inspired by Marina Abramović, reports the Art Newspaper, and encouraged participants to spread positivity and to “go have sex today.”
Light Watkins, teacher and author of The Inner Gym series, will lead the meditation for the fourth and final “Quiet Morning” scheduled for October 26.