At the "Mirror to the World: Exploring the Power of Art Experience" event held at the Glencairn Museum on February 15, Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle brought together a diverse group of experts on the effects of art as a culmination of a project funded by the Templeton Religion Trust. The event included research presentations examining nuanced ways art impacts well-being, understanding, and creativity, as well as applied workshops, and a panel discussion by experts in academia and art institutions.
The event addressed the psychological underpinnings of art appreciation and creation, moving beyond mere aesthetic pleasure to the profound cognitive and emotional responses that art can evoke. Dr. Ivcevic Pringle and her collaborator Dr. Pablo Tinio presented their research findings based on the mirror model of art, which describes art creation and appreciation as mirror images of each other. Art audiences start where the artists left off, noticing finishing touches on a piece of art and with deeper engagement ask questions about processes and ideas intended by artists. Research conducted Drs. Ivcevic Pringle and Tinio conducted at the Whitney Museum of Art shows that viewers gain understandings and insights about themselves, others, and the world, ask questions about the artistic process, and search for meaning. By likening the viewer’s interaction with art to a dialogue with the artist, Dr. Ivcevic Pringle illuminated the paths through which art fosters our ability to think creatively and reach deep levels of understanding.
Moreover, Dr. Ivcevic Pringle co-facilitated the "Through the Looking Glass of Art" workshop. Participants were guided to approach an artwork through a set of questions on three levels of increasing depth, from superficial features of size, shape, and color, to examining emotions and personal associations evoked by the artwork, to wondering about the ideas and meanings conveyed by the artist. The workshop highlighted research findings on aesthetic experiences and their significance in engaging museum audiences, promoting profound and meaningful encounters with art.
Other presenters complemented Dr. Ivcevic Pringle's emphasis on the cognitive aspects of art engagement. Dr. Katherine Cotter from the University of Pennsylvania, focused on well-being effects of art and underscored the transformative power of art on personal flourishing. In an experiential workshop, Dr. Elif Gokcigdem demonstrated that by fostering an awareness of self in relation to others through art and dialogue, empathy and collective understanding can be built and fostered.
Finally, the expert panel discussion featured artists and technologists, scientists, art historians, and leaders of museums and art institutions, offered a holistic view of the spiritual and transformative potential of art in a conversation on art's expansive role in human experience. Dr. Ivcevic Pringle and Dr. Gokcigdem moderated the panel from their different perspectives, as a scholar of psychology of emotions and art and art historian, respectively. The discussion ranged from the emerging role of artificial intelligence in art making, to the ways art appreciation can prime and inspire creative thinking, to how museums can apply research findings to create educational programs that harness the power of art for social and emotional learning, as well as development of thinking skills.
Dr. Ivcevic Pringle provided attendees with a multi-dimensional understanding of the power of art and how it shapes human experience. Her work serves as a bridge between empirical psychological research and the everyday experiences of museum-goers, artists, and educators, demonstrating that art is not just to be seen but to be felt, thought about, and ultimately understood in its full human significance.