Ambiguity

Dear Usdan Community,

About 20 years ago, I worked in the Education Department of The Museum of Modern Art. This was my first job officially in art education and, lucky for me, it was in a department heavily grounded in research. I soon learned: because artworks have multiple meanings, the study of art and the practice of artmaking improves one’s comfort with ambiguity.

Time and again I would work with school groups. Within one school group, students would use visual evidence to interpret the same artwork in vastly different ways. Accepting that the meaning of art is not monolithic, but inherently ambiguous, was a critical part of the students' growth. The more you make art and the more you look at art, the more comfortable you become with the possibility of one thing having multiple meanings.

This past year has tested my capacity to experience ambiguity and may have tested yours too. Keep in mind: as artists and audiences for the arts, we are the adults and the children who are really good with ambiguity. 

This year is an especially good time to remember that the art we make and experience at Usdan, and that which you do at home, has the ability to help us become more comfortable with ambiguity. 

Warmly,

Lauren Brandt Schloss, Executive Director