Art is often described as having soft power, or power that persuades through appeal and attraction, “using persuasion, attraction, or agenda setting,” rather than coercion or force.* Looking at how soft power functions in broader cultural contexts such as in television and radio programming, it is clear that art possesses this same power and with it, the ability to change the socio political landscape of the world.

In conjunction with

Learn about the Second National Symposium on Habitability of Environments, hosted by WAM, here >>

The Sensory Loss and Art Symposium at the Weisman Art Museum (WAM) was the end result of my summer-long residency with the Center for Applied Translational Sensory Science (CATSS) at the University of Minnesota. All summer I met with scientists studying all facets of vision and hearing loss, and learned about their individual research interests. It became clear very early on in this process that only three of them (which, in a typical demographic of scientists, is actually quite a high number) have sensory loss themselves.

Are you looking for some art to liven up your dorm room? Here are some WAM Collective favorites from the Weisman's new HOMEWORK Art Rental Collection. Bonus, you can rent for only $15 a semester!