RISD Museum | Powers of Observation

Powers of Observation is a three-part series that compares and contrasts objects from different cultures that are united by a common theme. Participants will work together to develop close looking skills through conversation driven by inquiry and guided by museum educator Hanna Exel. By applying tools that we all carry with us—observation, curiosity and lived experience—to works of art in the museum’s collection, we can better understand other cultures and time periods. Free.

Hanna Exel holds an MA in Art History from Tufts University, where her research focused on artistic responses to the early years of the AIDS pandemic. She uses an object-centered and inquiry-based approach to engaging with art, which has been honed through her experience as a youth development worker and positions at art institutions including MoMA and the New Museum.