The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington is offering hatha yoga on Thursday, Feb. 27, in a creative setting marked by a new gallery exhibit.
Yoga in The Galleries: Art & Movement with Jesse Curran is designed for all skill levels and runs from 6-7 p.m. at the museum, located at 2 Prime Ave. Space is limited, and registration is required through the museum website.
Curran, a Huntington native, views the museum as a “treasure” that many residents overlook. She described the upcoming yoga class as a “nice way” to reconnect with the museum in a setting that blends relaxation with artistic inspiration.
Curran pointed out that “many museums around the country—actually around the world—use museum space to offer meditation classes and yoga classes.”
Heckscher launched its program with Curran about a year ago, using the classes to highlight new exhibits. Curran, who has taught yoga at Northport Yoga and Wellness for more than a decade, welcomed the opportunity to merge art and yoga.
This time, the featured exhibit is Embracing The Parallax: Berenice Abbott and Elizabeth McCausland, which runs through March 30. Abbott is the artist and photographer in this duo, while McCausland is an art critic, according to the museum website. The exhibit features 22 gelatin silver prints reflecting career highlights, paired with McCausland’s writing.
“This idea of parallax is an interesting term in perception where if you shift or change the way you look at something, it can appear to be different,” said Curran, likening it to the way that yoga and mindfulness work to change students’ perceptions.
“Yoga helps us appreciate art in a new way….We can learn a lot about our creative presence from artwork,” Curran said.
When not teaching yoga, Curran is a published author and a faculty member for the English Department at SUNY Old Westbury. She credits yoga for developing her "own voice as a writer and building confidence.”
For more on the event, visit the museum’s website at: https://www.heckscher.org.