Book Amy Herman through The Keynote Curators

Biography

Amy Herman is a lawyer and art historian who uses works of art to sharpen observation, analysis, and communication skills. By showing people how to look closely at painting, sculpture, and photography, she helps them hone their visual intelligence to recognize the most pertinent and useful information and biases that impede decision-making. She developed her Art of Perception seminar in 2000 to improve medical students’ observation and communication skills with their patients when she was the Head of Education at The Frick Collection in New York City. She subsequently adapted the program for a wide range of professionals and leads sessions internationally for the New York City Police Department, the FBI, the French National Police, the Department of Defense, Interpol, the State Department, Fortune 500 companies, first responders, the military, and the intelligence community.

In her highly participatory presentation, she demonstrates the relevance of visual literacy across the professional spectrum and how analyzing works of art affords participants in her program an innovative way to refresh their sense of critical inquiry and reconsider the skills necessary for improved performance and effective leadership. The program has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The CBS Evening News, and Smithsonian Magazine, among others. Her TED talk, A Lesson in Looking, went live in December 2018. Ms. Herman holds an A.B., a J.D., and an M.A. in art history. Her book, Visual Intelligence, was published in May 2016 and was on both the New York Times and Washington Post best-sellers’ lists.

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Videos

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The Art of Perception: Seeing What Matters Now

Based on her best-selling book, Visual Intelligence, Amy Herman’s workshop, The Art of Perception, is an interactive program that teaches participants across the professional
spectrum to analyze works of art as a vehicle to enhance their observation, perception, and communication skills. Looking at works of art as a group will challenge participants’ assumptions --- individually and collectively -- and refresh critical inquiry skills by incorporating multiple perspectives into their thinking. In light of the pandemic’s shift in our situational awareness, the program’s exercises are designed to meet new accessibility challenges to a virtual community and refresh the ability to communicate concisely and effectively especially in the face of change. Works of art are engaged to address breakdowns in precise communication of critical information, navigate new landscapes, and remove assumptions to promote best
practices and more effective problem-solving. Prepare to have your eyes opened when you didn’t even know they were closed.

Getting to Fixed: New Lenses for Problem Solving

Building on the skills of visual intelligence taught in The Art of Perception course, Amy Herman’s newest session, Getting to Fixed: New Lenses for Effective Problem Solving, based on her new book, Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem-Solving (December 2021) teaches how to use works of art to see impediments from a different perspective and challenge our default thinking. The last two years have afforded all of us an opportunity to shift the paradigm to reconsider our available resources to craft innovative solutions. This highly participatory
workshop leverages these new insights to open up possibilities otherwise overlooked and provide sustainable tools to resolve myriad problems, from minor annoyances to intractable
dilemmas. Things go wrong all the time, but what matters most is understanding what we can do to fix them.

Booksby Amy Herman

Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem Solving

Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem Solving

Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life

Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life

Insights from Amy Herman

Watch our full conversation here: Are You Looking or Actually Seeing?

"Visual intelligence is engaging not just with your work, but your world, and all of your stakeholders and your family so that nothing is lost on you."

- Amy Herman

"This is where you have an opportunity to ask yourself, am I of the growth mindset or the fixed mindset? The fixed mindset says, well, I'm good, I'm talented, they've hired me to do what I do, and I'm gonna bring it to this company."

- Amy Herman

"I'm going to say that there's also a prelude for those who are looking, those who are resigning, those who are seeking. Before you look at art, you have to look someplace that's a little bit harder: you have to look in the mirror."

- Amy Herman

"Because you have to be able to talk about what worked for you, what didn't work for you, what you really wanna leave behind. And don't go into another position saying, "Well, I can try it." If it didn't work for you and you know that, say it out loud. Be able to articulate what you see in the mirror."

- Amy Herman

"Because everyone has limited resources. Know what you can fix, know what has the potential to be fixed, and know what you can't fix, and get rid of it, give it to somebody else because too many people are riding on your outcome."

- Amy Herman

"Every day has the potential to open our eyes and see things for more than they are. They're greater than the sum of their parts."

- Amy Herman

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