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Designing for Empathy & Caring Mindsets
May 7, 2018
Dr. Gokcigdem chaired and presented at a participatory empathy-building session titled: “Empathy-Building Through Museums — An Interactive Demonstration” at the AAM Conference in Phoenix. Co-presenters: Thomas Rockwell, Director of Exhibits and Media Studio, Exploratorium, and Dr. Zorana Ivcevic, and Eliana Grossman from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, each presented and facilitated an empathy-building demonstration. Approximately 200 museum professionals filled the entire conference room very early on a Monday morning for an engaging, informative, and a game-changing experience which enabled all participants to “experience” how empathy-building through museums might look and feel like.
Dr. Gokcigdem’s introduction in “Empathy-Building Through Museums — An Interactive Demonstration” panel was titled: “Designing for Empathy & Caring Mindsets,” which can be viewed here.
Abstract: There is an increasing awareness that the complex problems facing our humanity and the planet cannot be solved only through resources, knowledge and technologies. Simple human behavior and our individual choices lie at the heart of any sustainable solutions. Empathy, our inherent ability to feel like another, is emerging as an essential skill that can be nurtured towards positive behavior change for the benefit of the greater good. Museums are uniquely equipped to intentionally serve as platforms that foster empathy through experiential learning, play, dialogue, authentic experiences of awe and wonder, and contemplation. This workshop intends to showcase what empathy-building might look like in a museum setting through demonstrations facilitated by cross-disciplinary pioneers in the field.
American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo
Phoenix, Arizona (May 7, 2018)
