Workshop Series: Finding Awe
We all could use a little more awe in our lives—come find it in the museum! In this series of interactive workshops, we’ll meditate on awe in our lives and in art. Join us for a pause from your daily routine, to breathe deeply and look mindfully at a single work of art. You’ll be invited to look closely, wonder, and share your own awe experiences. We hope you’ll leave with some “awe practices,” tools for cultivating an awe mindset in your daily life.
Session 5: Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Daniel in the Lions’ Den
For centuries, artists have been commissioned to tell stories of the divine—works that aim to evoke awe, reverence, or passion in the viewer. Explore Rubens’ emotion-filled narrative works and reflect on awe’s role in spiritual life.
This program is grounded in the National Gallery’s longstanding commitment to slow looking and offers new “awe practices” drawn from the research of Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology at the University of California-Berkeley, director of The Greater Good Science Center, and author of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (2023). Research shows that experiences of awe help support mental and physical wellbeing, open us up to greater creativity and deeper empathy, and connect us to our shared humanity. The National Gallery and UC-Berkeley are currently collaborating on research and participants in this program will be encouraged to respond to surveys.
Ages 18 and up. Led by senior educator Nathalie Ryan. Questions? Email [email protected]