Cultivating Empathy Through Art
Head of Education Michelle Brenner takes a close look at Edgar Degas's Women Ironing (begun c.1875–1876; reworked c.1882–1886) and discusses how art can encourage and develop empathy.The series Spotlight on Art: Videos for Schools offers a closer look at objects from the Norton Simon collections. Featuring 2 to 3 artworks, each video is designed to encourage prolonged looking, reflection and discussion, while also including information about the artist and historical context. What’s more, the series provides an ongoing connection to the Museum for teachers and students from afar. We encourage you to use these videos in combination with our curriculum packets, activity lesson plans, and other related materials provided in the links below.FEATURED ARTWORKSDegas's Women Ironing Degas's The Laundress COMPARATIVE ARTWORKSDegas's A Woman Ironing from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Degas's Women Ironing from the Musée d'Orsay LEARN MORECurriculum Packet: Cultivating Empathy Through Art ADDITIONAL RESOURCESMinneapolis Institute of Art: Center for Empathy and the Visual Arts LACMA: Empathy through Art LACMA: Resources for Social and Emotional Learning Harvard Graduate School of Education Project Zero: Global Thinking
