Viewing works of art engages both the mind and heart. But whether a museum visit is primarily an intellectual or an emotional activity depends upon the type of art on display, and the era in which it was created. That's the conclusion of a study from the University of Rome, just published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts. The research team, led by Stefano Mastandrea, reports that visitors to a museum housing ancient art tended to describe their experience in cognitive terms, while those at a modern art museum were more likely to report they were emotionally ... Read More
Art Therapy Improves Lives of Breast Cancer Survivors
February 13, 2009 • By • Leave a Comment
The arts have taken a beating this week, with various members of Congress — including the father of an opera singer — decrying them as unworthy of inclusion in the stimulus package being finalized on Capitol Hill. However, two new studies suggest involvement in the arts helps students learn, and cancer victims cope. Between 2001 and 2004, 40 breast cancers survivors undergoing radiation treatment at Umea University Hospital in Sweden took part in a clinical trial. Twenty of them attended weekly hour-long art therapy sessions; 21 did not. All the women completed a series of surveys – ... Read More
Cut, Paste, Enrich: Art in the Remix Era
January 14, 2009 • By • Leave a Comment
In 2007, the English rock band Radiohead released its latest album online, where it was available for download for as much or as little as fans wanted to pay. After fulfilling their previous contractual agreements, the band had decided not to re-sign with a major label and instead keep complete creative and distribution control. They had earned the freedom to give away their music for free, and that's just what they did. In a period when digitized music is easily copied and distributed, Radiohead beat the pirates to the punch. The band even encouraged fans to download one of the songs and ... Read More
If YOU Can Draw, Then YOU Should Be in School!
December 22, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
As a shakespearean scholar, Marjorie Garber has an appreciation for punchy phrases that hold multiple meanings. She has coined one herself for the title of her new book. Patronizing the Arts is, as one would guess, a critical examination of the various ways cultural activity has been funded over the centuries. But it also scrutinizes the patronizing attitude American society tends to have toward the arts — treating them as a pleasant but expendable frill. The two definitions of the term, she argues, are interrelated: A culture that doesn't seriously value creative expression can't be ... Read More
Workplace Serenity Is Just a Poster Away
April 30, 2008 • By • 1 Comment
The seashore scene is not one of Ansel Adams' famous photographs, but like all his best work, it captures a dramatic moment in time. A wave is crashing against a line of jagged rocks, spraying plumes of foam that look luminescent against the dark hillside in the background. Overhead, ominous clouds suggest it is about to rain any moment. I can see it out of the corner of my eye as I type these words. Shortly after moving into my new office, I hung it over my desk, along with another Adams image on the opposite wall. I couldn't have told you why, exactly, except that I find them ... Read More
