Seeing and Not Seeing Giraffes: Explorations in Perception, Art, and Possibility

In a series of interrelated essays, my dissertation explores how engaging with the ambiguity that art specifically offers can disrupt our thinking habits, shift our perspectives, and unlock possibilities for creative new forms of thought and action. Placing examples drawn from my experience as a curator, educator, and art-lover in dialog with theories based in neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, I explore why and how encounters with art can push our abilities to see, think, and feel beyond our typical capacities. Neither a map for tracing a direct route nor an authoritative guide, the dissertation instead represents a collage of overlapping and diverging narratives that, in combination, suggest an interconnected network of relationships between art, perception, and creativity.