Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ana Mendieta,
Untitled (Body Tracks). 1974.
Lifetime color photograph
10 by 8 inches. ©The Estate
of Ana Mendieta Collection.
Courtesy Galerie Lelong,
New York,
Complete Engagement:
Embodied Response in
Art Museum Education
BY OLGA M. HUBARD
I
magine a 5-year-old girl mesmer- artworks present themselves as physical (or virtual) entities
ized in front of a video. The video
shows artist Ana Mendieta sliding that exist in the same space as we do.
her blood-covered hands
downward against a wall (see Figure I).
Emulating the artist, the child lifts her Tbe idea tbat bumans can only gain entities tbat exist in tbe same space as we do.
knowledge through the intellect has Works of visual art are embodied in images
arms up and slowly glides down until
dominated Western culture since Descartes' that the eyes perceive and in things tbat can
her body reaches the floor. Now envision time. From tbe 20th century on, however, potentially be touched (Merleau-Ponty,
a 15-year-old boy looking at a scroll of many scholars have pointed out the 1964). Therefore, there is a sense of imme-
Chinese calligraphy. Without noticing, limitations of the Cartesian schema and diacy in the way viewers begin to apprehend
the young viewer begins to make sound reconsidered tbe status of the hody in the an artwork: a pbysical, sensorial, and oiten
effects—sivis^, swash, swoosh—as, he construction of knowledge (Arnheim, t969; emotional, engagement that precedes the
follows the direction of the different Dall'Alba & Barnacle. 2005; Hanna, 1985; conceptual (Hooper-Greenbill, 1999; Langer,
Lakofr& lohnson, 1980. 1999; Merleau- 1953;Sontag, 1982).'
brushstrokes with fluid arm movements.
Ponty, 1964; Tbomas. 2003). Discoveries in Tbis is not to say tbat art speaks exclusively
Think, now, of the 30-year-old woman cognitive science bave confirmed tbat
who looks at a Baroque crucifixion. As to people's bodies and emotions; intriguing
concepts and reason are rooted on the artworks can also provoke viewers to form
her eyes fall on the depiction of open experiences of the body (Damasio, 1994, interpretations through rational thought
(lesh, she recognizes the pain the 1999; Freedberg, 2002; Varela. Tbompson. & processes (Barrett, 2003; Hooper-Greenhill,
wounds suggest and instantly flinches, Rosch, 1991}. In tbe words of l.akoff & 1999; Housen, 2002; McKay St Monteverde,
"Ouch!" Jobnson, 'bur sense of what is real begins 2003; Tishman. 2000). 'liius. experiences
with and depends crucially upon our bodies" witb works of art can be simultaneously
Observant museum educators are familiar (1999, p. 17); moreover, "tbe mind is not conceptual and embodied; tbey can set in
wilh these kinds of spontaneous sound merely corporeal but also passionate, motion at once a person's reason, senses,
effects, body gestures, and emotional reac- desiring, social" (p. 565). Nevertbeless, emotions, and motor channels ot response.^
tions in visitors. But, what is the place of education today continues to be driven by
such physical and emotional responses in Cartesian views: 'The logical and the Tbe integration of different ways of
education? Arc they passing, trivial mani- measurable predominate, and pbysicality and knowing is, according to many, a defining
Icstations? Or, do these embodied responses emotions arc regarded as sometbing tbat characteristic of tbe aestbetic experience
entail learning? must be "tamed or controlled to achieve (Burton. 1997; Csikszentmihalyi &
cognitive performance" (Kerka, 2002, 5 2). Robinson. 1990; Custodero, Neumann,
From a Cartesian perspective, the answer
Tbus. the Cartesian schema "bas led to Hansen, & Kerdeman. 2005; Hubard, 2003;
to the last question is likely to be no. In the
devaluing tbe significance of emotions and Yenawine, 2002). this fusion of the whole
Cartesian model, which derives from ihe
sensations in the process of becoming being contributes to making tbe aestbetic a
ideas of 17th-century philosopher Rene
educated" (Anttila, 2004, 5 2). "refined and intensified form of experience,"
Descartes, logical reasoning is considered the
(Dewey. 1980, p. 3)—an experience capable
one path to true knowledge. A separation of A number of tbeorists bave recognized tbe of throwing oH tbe covers bred by routine
intellect and body and a mistrust of relevance of body-mind integration in and making people wide awake to themselves
physicality and emotions characterize tbis schools. These authors bave contended that and tbe world in which tbey live.
school of thought (Kerka, 2002). Descartes far from being only "mind" or "reason," as
wrote: Teacbers wbo want students lo look
Descartes suggested, learners are whole
Can I affirm that I possess any of all beyond the conventions tbat surround them,
beings, creatures tbat make sense of tbe
those attributes ... belonging to tbe those who want young people to he lully
world through bodily sensations and feelings
nature of ihe body? After attentively awake to tbemselves and lo the world, will
as well as through rational processes (Anttila,
considering them in my own mind, I recognize tbat "art pedagogy bas its greatest
2004; Bresler, 2004; Brodkey & Fine, 1988;
Iind none of them that can properly power and meaning in its inherent possibility
lobnson. 1983; Kerka, 2002; McLaren, 1991;
be said to belong to myself .,, I am to combine different modes of knowing"
Stinson, 1995).'
therefore, precisely speaking, only a (Anttila. 2004, ^ 7). Certainly, this kind of
Tbe investigation of embodied learning is pedagogy includes embodied responses
thinking tbing, tbat is, a mind, under-
particularly relevant in art education, tjnlike to art.
standing, or reason. (Descartes,
tbe contents of written texts, artworks
19{) 1/1641. as cited in DairAlha&
present tbemselves as pbysical (or virtual)
Barnacle, 2005, p. 723)
When people slow down to draw, details These paper responses bring to the surface Conclusion: Is There Learning
and nuances that may not be immediately important aspects of the mandala such as in Embodied Response?
obvious reveal themselves. Drawing calls for salient shapes, spatial relationships, and the
the integrated work of visual perception and 1 began this article by highlighting a view
organization of space. In a mandala, though,
arm movement. Therefore, by following the of cognition that goes beyond the rational
a concentric composition, stylized flowers,
carved lines on the sculpture's surface, and the measurable, one where perception,
and body postures are not merely formal
viewers go beyond labeling the design as physical sensations, and emotions all
devices meant to please the eye. Rather, each
intricate and the lines as delicate: They constitute valuable ways of knowing. I also
of these aspects is also imbued with
experience, through the motion of their arms suggested that artworks, by tbeir very nature,
meanings that are iundamental to the
and the varying pressure exerted by their call for responses that integrate the different
Buddhist spirituality. Specifically, the
hands, the intricacy of the design in all its dimensions of the self Embodied responses
concentric organization characterizes the
complexity and the delicacy of the line in all are an important piece in tbis equation.
structure of the meditation temples that
its gentleness. Again, this emhodied response Without them, there is no complete
mandalas represent. 'Ihe remarkable body
helps charge what could be a cold formal engagement.
gestures refer to particular modes of
analysis with significant experience. meditation. Ihe simplified petals allude to Do emhodied experiences entail learning,
the lotus flower, Buddhist symbol of then? Embodied experiences do not only
Moreover, as students draw, their hand
spontaneous generation and hence of divine aid in tbe construction of knowledge; they
lollows the same path the carver's hand
birth. Thus, after making their paper also help make this knowledge meaningful.
trailed when be created the object. Students
sculptures, students stand on an ideal As the examples presented earlier showed,
ihus connect witb the physical actions
platform from which to reflect about the it is the body and the emotions that enahle
undertaken by another person in another
place of essential human experiences (of people to empathize (Kerka, 2002; Lakolf
lime and place to create a meaningful work.
centeredness of simplification, and of & Johnson, 1999), to lend their lives to a
Appreciation for the artist's skill is gained in
experiencing the transcendental in one's work of art, (Greene, 1996), humanizing
this way. Furthermore, drawing a carving
body) across different cultures. their aesthetic encounters. If students are
prompts students to reflect about the
lucky enough to experience art through the
qualities ot different art materials and
processes—making a drawing of an indented Summary ditferent dimensions that together make
fb recap, there are a variety of non- them human, the works they see will enter
design makes it evident that pencil and paper
discursive activities thaf can fecilitate their lives in more significant and memo-
cannot do what chisel and wood can.
embodied responses to works of art. But rable ways.
Instance 5: Transforming Paper. A group these activities are not all tbe same: Some
ol college students look carefully at a help viewers experience the structure ofa Olga M. Hubard is Assistant Professor
Nepalese mandala from the late 14th century. work, others highlight the feel of its of Art Education at Teachers College
"I be teacher asks them to use their hands to materials, and yet others facilitate connec- Columbia University, New York City.
transform a piece of paper in response to the tions to the artists' process. Moreover, certain E-mail: hubard@tc.edu
image. Ihe young viewers begin to tear, non-discursive activities give viewers access
bend, fold, crunch, and join, looking up at to the narrative a work suggests, whereas
the mandala now and again until each REFERENCES
others help viewers empathize with its Anitila, K. (2004), Tluuinhlful motion; Towards
completes a distinct paper sculpture. emotional tone or its cultural significance.* embodied knowing and bodily consciousness.
In .some of the students" works, concentric Retrieved July 28, 2006, from www.dramais-
Aside from bringing people closer fo
areas enclose a central space: They embody kolcn.no/l06%20eevanartikketi.pdf
particular facets ofa work, however, the
the experience of centeredness. Other Arnheim, R. (1969). Visual thinking. Berkeley and
various non-discursive strategies also activate
sculptures feature a number of rounded, l.os Angeles: University of California Press.
particular modes of response in viewers:
overlapping shapes reminiscent of petals: Bachelard, G. (1964). The poetics of space. Boston:
Some tap into direct, immediate reactions;
'Ihey capture the fragility of flowers and Beacon Press.
others call for extended, nuanced looking.
speak to the power of repetition. Yet other Barrett, T. (2003). Interpreting art: Reflecting.
Thus, if is key for teachers to select an
paper sculptures include stylized body wondering, and responding. New York:
activity that aligns well with the character of
parts—arms, legs, torsos, hands—positioned McGraw-Hill.
the particular work and with their educa-
in interesting ways: They highlight the Baxandall, M. (1985). Pattern.'; of intention, In D,
tional goals.
specificity of the body postures depicted in Preziozi (Ed.). Vte art of art history: A critical
the image. anthology. Princeton: Princeton University
Press.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I am grateful to all the educators who have shared their
ideas for non-discursive activities witb me over the years. KANSAS CITY MlKIMSTITUTE
In particular, I am indebted to my colleagues from The A (t'lii-ycjr cnllcgc of
Museum of Modern Art and the Noguchi Museum in
New York Cily and to my teachers, Judith Burton and
Rika Burnham.
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