CANCELLED: Ellen Winner: How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration

We apologize for the inconvenience, this event has been cancelled. In consideration of the health and safety of visitors, volunteers, and staff, Mia is temporarily closed to the public.

Please join the Friends of the Institute on May 14 for a 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? Ellen Winner is the Friends May Lecture Series presenter and final speaker of the 2019-2020 season. Winner’s latest book, “How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration,” explores answers to questions such as: What constitutes art in the first place? Why does even abstract art cause us to respond emotionally? And why is it that we willingly seek out works of art 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 are they shaped by training, culture, and/or tradition?

Ellen Winner, PhD, 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. She is married to Howard Gardner, of multiple intelligences fame, and they have one child together.

Reserve your ticket at artsmia.org or by calling 612.870.6323. Tickets are available for Friends members on March 15, and the general public on March 17.