Rubin Musuem of Art selects Workhouse Publicity!

NYC PR Firm Workhouse Publicity to lead Museum's worldwide campaign

NEW YORK- (August 26, 2002), The Rubin Museum of Art (RMA), a major new museum and cultural center, has selected Workhouse Publicity as the agency of record for worldwide Public Relations, marketing and special events it was announced today. Scheduled to open in Spring, 2004, The Rubin Museum of Art will be home to one of the most comprehensive collections of Himalayan art in the world. Workhouse Publicity has previously spearheaded targeted initiatives for New York City cultural institutions such as the Tony Shafrazi Gallery and the Staley-Wise Gallery and artists such as David LaChapelle and Albert Watson.

"Workhouse Publicity offers an outstanding team of experienced Public Relations professionals. We are thrilled to have them as part of our team as we embark on one of the first New York City landmarks of the 21st Century," said Lisa Schubert, Director, Rubin Museum of Art.

"We chose Workhouse Publicity because they maintain a creative, hands on approach to promotion", said Donald Rubin, Chairman, Rubin Museum of Art.

The Rubin Museum of Art will break ground in this October, 2002. Located on the site of the former Barney's department store located at 138 - 154 W 17th and 7th Avenue it will reflect the creative vision of architect Richard Blinder of the New York firm, Beyer Blinder and Belle. The building will have approximately 20, 000 square feet of gallery space and a state-or-the-art auditorium for performances and events. The home of the permanent collection will be a five-floor tower. A spiral staircase serving as a metaphor for traversing the levels of meaning in Himalayan art. The ceremony will be open to the the public and local residents are encouraged to attend.

Drawn by the unusual and dynamic beauty of Himalayan art, Donald and Shelley Rubin purchased their first painting over 25 years ago. The Rubin Collections form one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Tibetan and Himalayan paintings in the world. Comprised of over 1,200 pieces, the collections include recognized masterpieces as well as a large number of historically valuable works. RMA grew out of the determination to share these compelling works of art with the public, as well as their desire to help in the documentation, preservation and scholarship in the field.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama acknowledges the Rubin's for their "generous and insightful efforts to preserve our sacred art works."

RMA is a key participant in the Himalayan Art Project (HAP), an online database currently featuring more than two thousand images of art from the Himalayas and bordering regions. HAP was created to exhibit and catalog collections from around the world with the long-term goal of creating a comprehensive and definitive archive. Designed for the casual visitor as well as the scholar, HAP (www.himalayanart.org) digitally preserves the art for future generations

Other members of the RMA team include renowned designer, Milton Glaser and the exhibition design team of Imrey/Culbert.

Instituted in 1996, Workhouse Publicity has become one of the finest boutique agencies of its kind having produced over one hundred domestic and international publicity campaigns. The new definition of a full-service promotional firm, Workhouse specializes in the coordination of corporate and celebrity publicity, total design, special events and guerilla marketing. Recent accomplishments include New York and Los Angeles productions of the 24 Hour Plays to benefit the NY State WTC Relief Fund with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosie Perez, Benjamin Bratt, Billy Crudup, Mary-Louise Parker, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, Kyra Sedgwick, Lili Taylor, Natasha Lyonne, Scarlett Johansson, Liev Schreiber, Robert Sean Leonard, Drena DeNiro, Catherine Kellner, Brendan Sexton, Jared Harris, Sam Rockwell, Fisher Stevens, Jane Adams, Christina Applegate, Jennifer Coolidge, Portia Di Rossi, Seth Green, Adam Goldberg, Jeffrey Jones, Ann Magnuson, Gina Phillips, John Ritter, Sarah Silverman and Ione Skye who performed six short plays, each written and rehearsed less than a day before the curtain raised. Workhouse has also produced numerous special events at Harlems legendary Apollo Theater, Gracie Mansion, Harry Winston, Algonquin Hotel and gala affairs including Francis Ford Coppolas Festa Macaroni, Interview Magazines 30th Anniversary, Virgin Megastore's Grand Opening and Galleries Lafayettes 20th Anniversary in France. Worldwide client campaigns have included promotional initiatives for Sean "Puffy" Combs, Tim Burton, Debbie Harry, David LaChapelle, Lennox Lewis and Rocky Aoki. Workhouse Publicity is a one-stop agency accommodating all aspects of publicity, design and promotion for the creation of marketing, advertising and special events located at 32 Thompson Street, Ground Floor NYC 10013. For more information please visit www.workhousepr.com