Hi friends and colleagues,

I’m excited to announce my upcoming workshop:

The Art Practicum: Seeing in Uncertainty
A Trans-professional Workshop for Clinicians and Science Educators

Friday, October 25 (6-8pm), and Saturday, October 26 (8am – 3pm), 2013
Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University

An Art Practicum workshop with Boston Medical Center clinicians

Art, science, and clinical caregiving share a basic practice: navigating ambiguous evidence with keen observation. ArtsPractica aims to help close the gap between training and practice in these skills with a trans-professional approach. Designed specifically for practitioners and teachers, this workshop offers a basic building block of applying arts engagement to the context of seeing patients in times of uncertainty.

The agenda will begin with an evening seminar covering the topic and relevant research (Friday night, 10/25, dinner provided), followed by an all-day interactive experience in the galleries (Saturday, 10/26, breakfast and lunch provided). The Rose Art Museum fall exhibitions promise lots of provocative art (think arts-based simulation lab for “seeing in uncertainty”), along with the collaboration of my longtime colleague, Dabney Hailey. I’m really excited about it!

Space will be limited to thirty people at a maximum. Ten spots are accounted for already, and there’s been a lot of interest around the event, so I expect it to fill quickly.  Register before midnight on July 10th and receive our Early Bird Discount of $745 (full price $825). The price includes three meals plus refreshments (participants responsible for their own travel and lodging). The meals will be healthy and really tasty, too.

But, you wisely ask, will it be any good??  Here’s what participants of similar workshops have said:

“Phenomenal workshop. Whole new way of seeing.
So many parallels with clinical diagnosis and synthesis.
Viscerally promoted reflection, humanism, teamwork and critical thinking in medicine—and art appreciation overall. Thank you!”
–James Meisel, MD, FACP

“Alexa presents a dynamic workshop. I have participated in several, and I have implemented
lessons learned in small group ambulatory didactic sessions for fourth year medical students.
I highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in refreshing their skills in broad, artistic, humanistic dimensions.”
–Suzanne Sarfaty, MD, MPH

“That was a seriously freaky painting.”
–Greg Matthews, Creator #MDigitalLife

And what outcomes can participants expect? Here is what we will do:
Interacting with a range of works of art on view at the Rose, participants will:

  • Identify the skills of “aesthetic attention” and their significance to clinical care now and in the future;
  • Practice these skills individually and in groups;
  • Learn about how people learn to look – including insight into one’s own process as a viewer;
  • Learn about the Visual Thinking Strategies Method for arts engagement, with tips for applying VTS to healthcare settings;
  • Take away practical tools for engaging with art museums;
  • Receive handouts and materials including relevant literature in the field;
  • Receive individualized and group feedback from Alexa.

No previous experience with art necessary. Please come prepared to interact.

Curious to see an ArtsPractica workshop in action? Here’s footage from a recent event at Millennial Medicine: Knowledge Design for an Age of Digital Disruption (Rice University, April 26, 2013).

Still need more information? Drop me a note or give a call (direct line: 617-620-5959). Your questions are very welcome.

Join me at the Rose in October to enhance your own art of seeing patients.

Thanks for your curiosity. Best,

Alexa