Hunter Museum of American Art

Often when I tell someone that I meet where I work, they immediately tell me that they can’t “do” art, how they don’t really “get” art, how they aren’t creative. They tell me that their brains are better for business, or medicine, or engineering or law or … (fill in the blank of any occupation).

Well, I’m the first to say you don’t have to be an artist to find value and personal meaning in art (and if you’ve ever seen any of my attempts at drawing, you’ll understand that being an artist is not a prerequisite for museum experiences). While the art museum is certainly a welcoming space for right-brained, creative types, it is also a perfect spot for our left-brained friends too. And these left brainers rely on creativity just as much as the right-brained among us. After all, could an entrepreneur create an innovative company without an enormous amount of creativity? Could a physician diagnose an atypical case without thinking in new ways? Could an engineer develop a new part or system without imagining the 2D world in 3D? Could an attorney find a new approach to a case that might have otherwise been argued as successfully?

Really, all of these professions are creative and often art is a great way to unlock the far reaches of their field-specific creativity. Here at the Hunter, we love working with business professionals to help unlock their potential and offer a variety of programs to do this.

• Are you in a growing business or one about to make a change? Then consider Designing Innovation, a program offered in partnership with a business coach that allows growing companies to work on a strategic goal, using the collection as a catalyst for company-wide innovation and teamwork.
• Are you a physician interested in building the future of the medical community? Consider speaking with us about our Artful Diagnosis program offered in partnership with the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. This program teaches medical students and residents to build their visual acuity and diagnostic skills using works of art, often saving both time and hopefully lives with more accurate assessments.
• Would you like to grow personally as a business professional? Sign up for our iLead professional development series. This program, offered in partnership with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Business, teaches professionals across industries to build their leadership skills. Using a combination of business coach led sessions, guest talks by UTC faculty and complimentary in gallery exercises, participants will learn to lead high-performance teams, create motivating workplace environments and deliver successful outcomes. (Read more about iLead in this recent article from the Chattanooga Times Free Press.)

Is there another form of professional creativity we’ve forgotten? Let us know and we’d be glad to talk about other programs that might meet your needs. Remember, left brainers are creative too!

- Adera Causey, Curator of Education