{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcurated-questions.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Fherman-D5CQArfM","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"Art And Inquiry As A Threshold To Our Humanity | Amy Herman #17","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/bbd413c2-75d4-4441-8182-02e9e811affc/87da83d5-4759-4b99-aeb0-d5bea590416f/17-herman-episode-art.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"","height":200,"description":"Amy Herman is a recovering lawyer and the founder and president of her company, The Art of Perception. Amy combines her litigation background with her training as an art historian to help a diverse clientele sharpen observation, analysis, and communication skills through a four-step framework of Assess, Analyze, Articulate, and Act. The roots of this work began while she was serving as the head of education at The Frick Collection in New York City. She took medical students out of their clinical setting and brought them to an art museum to teach them how to analyze works of art so that when they returned to the hospital in the clinical setting, they would be better observers of their patients. \n\nAmy subsequently adapted the program for a wide range of professionals and leads sessions for the New York City Police Department, the FBI, the French National Police, the Department of Defense, Interpol, the State Department, Fortune 500 companies, first responders, retailers, and the military. In her highly participatory presentation, she demonstrates the necessity for astute visual literacy and how analyzing works of art affords participants an innovative way to refresh their sense of critical inquiry and skills necessary for sharper performance and effective leadership. The program has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The CBS Evening News, and Smithsonian Magazine. \n\nHer 2018 TED talk, A Lesson on Looking, has amassed nearly 1M views. Ms. Herman holds an A.B., a J.D., and an M.A. in art history. Her May 2016 book, Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life, was on the New York Times and Washington Post best sellers’ lists. Her second book, Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem-Solving, was published in December 2021, and her third book, smART: Use Your Eyes to Boost Your Brain, was published in October 2022.\n\nAmy shares her experiences from law and art history, emphasizing how questioning can broaden knowledge and improve problem-solving skills. Additionally, her expertise underscores the significance of effective communication, human connections, and shared experiences across personal and professional contexts. The conversation touches on themes of situational awareness, self-reflection, and the growth that comes from embracing imperfections, drawing on real-life examples and anecdotes, like learning from a retired prison guard and understanding trauma through the art of kintsugi.\n\nThis Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com.\n\nKeep questioning!\n\nEpisode Notes\n[00:48] Meet Amy Herman: Lawyer Turned Art Historian\n[02:16] The Power of Questions in Art and Life\n[04:44] Art and Observation: Transforming Perspectives\n[06:36] Personal Stories and Reflections\n[10:29] Engaging with Art and Humanity\n[21:06] The Importance of Clear Communication\n[31:12] Finding Common Ground Through Art\n[40:50] The Unique Perspective of Art Guards\n[41:50] Engaging with Art Through Questions\n[43:24] Personal Stories and Art\n[47:42] The Power of Situational Awareness\n[51:29] The Importance of Asking Hard Questions\n[55:16] Learning and Unlearning Through Questions\n[01:13:29] The Mandate to Share Experiences\n[01:14:50] Final Thoughts and Encouragements\n\nResources Mentioned\nThe Art of Perception\nThe Frick Collection\nVisual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life by Amy Herman\nFixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem-Solving by Amy Herman\nsmART: Use Your Eyes to Boost Your Brain by Amy Herman\nHelen McKenzie\nMee Shim\nMetropolitan Museum of Art\nMrs. Hannah Winthrop by John Singleton Copley\nNicolaes Ruts by Rembrandt\nDr. Edgar Munhall\nMonica, son's babysitter\nPhilip Seymour Hoffman\nHirshhorn\nJohannes Vermeer\nFaith Ringgold\nMrs. Kate Moore by John Singer Sargent\nCobalt Blue Dress by Amoako Boafo\nPhilippa Pham Hughes\nKintsugi\nAmy Herman on Instagram\nBeauty Pill\nProducer Ben Ford\n\nQuestions Asked\nWhen did you first understand the power of questions?\nDo you have any art exercises that I could do with my kids?\nhow can we ask better questions of looking at art?\nIn your training as a art historian, are questions an equal part of a foundation of understanding? \nHow can I ask the right questions to elicit information from this work of art to change how people look so they, in turn, can see better?\nhow was your son's growing-up experience different as a result of your work?\nHow did I miss this?\nWhat else am I missing?\nWhat does that balance look like?\nWhat are some consistencies you found regarding the kinds of questions these experts in these various disciplines have adopted?\nAm I clear?\nAm I being clear?\nDo they really mean to say what they're saying?\nIs this really what I want to say? \nIs this what I want to communicate? \nIs this what I don't want to say?\nHow do you make sure you don't trip over a mahogany table?\nAnything I need to know before we go into the operating room?\nHow do we ensure we don't miss what's hiding in plain sight?\nAnything here I'm missing?\nAnything I do not see here?\nHow did he die?\nHow did you find out?\nHow would you use questions to get yourself to default to your humanity?\nHow are you using questions to help you regulate yourself?\nWhat's the best thing that happened to you so far today?\nWhat's something wonderful that happened to you that you couldn't see coming?\nWhat do you think of this?\nWhat do you see here?\nWhat's your favorite piece here?\nDo you have a favorite piece?\nIs there something you like in this room more than others?\nWhat do you like here? \nWhat is your process for coming up with your questions as you look at a piece of art?\nWho thought to put these two together?\nWho put these together? \nWhat does the artist look like? \nHow did they come up with the two of these? \nWhat were the curators thinking? \nHow does that lay the groundwork for how we're going to see the rest of this exhibition?\nDo they know that it's being exhibited here? \nHow do I see it? \nHow do other people see it?\nWhere am I? \nHow did I get here? \nHow do I get out of here safely? \nHow do I communicate to others where I am?\nWhere am I in this painting? \nDid the artist include me in the painting? \nAm I shut out of the painting? \nDo I identify with the subject?\nDo I not identify with the subject?\nHow can they ask better questions? \nHow do they ask the difficult questions?\nHow did I get here?\nHow did it take me so long?\nWhat got us here?\nHow do we get out of this?\nWhat is the call to action to change how we got here?\nWhat is your process for helping folks reckon with whatever got them there?\nHow do we look at ourselves as that piece of art?\nWhat am I relying on for this behavior? \nWhy do I do this?\nHow can I leverage this experience to make life better for me, those I care about and the people I work with?\nHow can I take this experience and make it better?\nWhy can't you just accept the experience for what it is?\nDo you have any other thoughts or encouragements about questions that we haven't explored?\nHow are you?"}