WONDER: Art + Healing Symposium | May 15-16, 2025

Call for Proposals is now open!

Wonder is alive in museums as a powerful undercurrent of artistic expression, discovery, and meaningful connection. How can this powerful force transform the arts into a vehicle for health and healing?

Last year, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art hosted the Wonder Symposium, an exploration of wonder as a source of creative inspiration as well as physical and social well-being.  In its next iteration, The Wonder Symposium will dive deep into wonder as the connective tissue between the arts and healing.  Over the course of 1.5 days, we will explore the potential of the arts to inspire wonder, which in turn, promotes healing.  Through thought-provoking presentations and inspiring activities and experiences, this symposium will explore the arts as agents of wonder and the role that wonder can play in emotional, mental, and physical healing.

Submissions are invited for the following topics, and suggestions exploring alternate areas of wonder, art, and healing are welcome. Scholars, artists, thinkers, and doers from all fields and disciplines are welcome to submit.

Proposals may address one or multiple suggested questions or propose a unique avenue of exploration.

Wonder + the Arts

• How do encounters with the arts inspire wonder?
• How is wonder communicated through art?
• How do the arts create pathways to understanding and empathy?

Wonder + Healthcare

• How does engagement with works of art promote physiological benefits?
• How does art inspire wonder to sustain healthcare providers and care for those who care for others?

Wonder + Healing

• In what ways do guided experiences with art facilitate a trance or transformation?
• How can engagement with the arts actively promote healing?
• What is the connection between engagement with the arts, a sense of wonder, and healing?

Wonder + Reflection

• How can the practice of wonder lead to expanded or restorative mindsets?
• What does the future look like for art, wonder, and healing in museums and other creative spaces?
• How has wonderous encounters with works of art inspired healing for you?

Carnival of Wonders

How can a symposium be wonder-filled? As part of the symposium, a half-day Carnival of Wonders will explore the varied ways wonder and art facilitate healing, mindfulness, and well-being. During the Carnival of Wonders, participants will wander through an outdoor tent, engaging with wonder-bringers who will facilitate a hands-on wonder session. Have something to bring to the carnival? Let us know what type of experiences you want to facilitate!

SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL 

Proposals should include the following elements:

1. Proposal title
2. Presentation format
3. Presentation time
4. Brief description
5. Detailed explanation of your idea (can be submitted in written, audio, or video formats)
6. Required resources (A/V, supplies, space needs, etc.)
7. Presenter contact information.
8. Submit your proposal online by 11:59 PM EST, December 31, 2024. 

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL HERE

Deadline for proposals is 11:59 PM EST, December 31, 2024.  All submissions will be reviewed by an interdepartmental team of Ringling staff. Invitations to present will be confirmed in January 2025.

Still wondering about something? For questions about the symposium or proposal submission process please email [email protected].