ABSTRACT
The work of an art museum educator is to forge connections between an object and the visitor in order to find meaning and create engagement. The process of helping the viewer to see is a collaborative process and it often elicits discussion, debate, and new perspectives about what a person sees after further investigation of art. Whether within a museum gallery or an undergraduate studio course, a formal training in art is really a training in observation. Art students are taught how to look carefully and how to interpret works by scanning and discussing visual images to find meaning. Similarly, the most successful doctors are those who are well-versed in perception and hold superior observation skills. Both practices rely upon interpreting nonverbal and visual cues to draw conclusions, and the two fields, art and medicine, are not mutually exclusive. Gaining skills in observation and critical thinking start at an early age as children when we try to make sense of the world around us. We use our visual skills to make meaning and decode ideas and problems.
