Two Ways of Knowing: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Please Note This Event Has Been Rescheduled!

Workshop, led by Brian Bomeisler, Artist and Educator, is open to the public.

Rescheduled from November 2 and offered in collaboration with the Zimmerli’s special exhibition “Art=Text=Art,” this workshop is open to all adults; teachers receive six professional development credit hours. The workshop helps teachers in the humanities and the sciences discover the remarkable applications of drawing in the non-arts classroom. In addition, individuals who seek to develop their own drawing skills find that the philosophy and related exercises enhance their creative endeavors. The fee of $50 per participant includes continental breakfast, lunch, and supplies. For more information or to register, contact the Education Department at education@zimmerli.rutgers.edu.

The workshop is based on the legendary 1979 book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain,” by Betty Edwards, which used the terms L-Mode and R-Mode to designate two ways of knowing and seeing: the verbal, analytic mode and the visual, perceptual mode, respectively. Most activities require both modes, each contributing its unique functions. However, a few activities require mainly one mode, without interference from the other - drawing is one of these activities. Learning to draw, turns out not to be "learning to draw," but learning to make a mental shift from L-mode to R-mode. Once learned, drawing can be used to record what one sees either in reality or in the mind's eye, in a manner not unlike recording thoughts and ideas in words.