Virtual Talk: Ellen Winner on ‘How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration’

Please join the Friends of the Institute on September 10 for a virtual lecture by Ellen Winner: “How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration.”

Ever wondered what it is about Mia’s collections that we all find so irresistible and moving?

Winner’s latest book, How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration, explores that question and others, such as: What constitutes art in the first place? Why does even abstract art cause us to respond emotionally? Why do we willingly seek out artworks that make us feel sad or that represent objects that in “real life” we try to avoid? And finally, are our responses to art innate or shaped by training, culture, and/or tradition?

Ellen Winner is the Friends September Lecture Series presenter and first speaker of the 2020-2021 season. She is a professor of psychology at Boston College and senior research associate at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has written numerous books and lectured widely on a variety of subjects relating to how the brain understands, creates, and benefits from interaction with the arts.

Tickets are available for Friends members on August 15, and the general public on August 17. Click here to register for this virtual event.