Whenever I’m talking about the benefits of art education, one of the things I often focus on is the importance of learning how to navigate a challenge where the answer may not be black or white.  In fact, whether we are making art or viewing art, at the center of it all remains a significant amount of subjectivity.

At Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, they seem to feel the same way and that is why they have required art classes within their curriculum.  A new study by Dr. Gowda, MD, MPH, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine suggests that training students to tolerate uncertainty could be done within the walls of a museum instead of a medical setting. “Art allows us to grapple with ambiguity,” Gowda says. “Paintings are dynamic, complex, and can continually be discovered. They act on the observer in emotional, social, and intellectual ways.”

Maybe this is why many people feel that STEM education really should be STEAM education!  Art can be perfectly situated in the middle of science and math to teach the brain to think differently and allow abstract thought to challenge objective thought.

What do you think?