San Francisco | April 2026
THE ART OF PERSPECTIVE A workshop for seeing your thinking more clearly
When we look at art, we slow down. Our breath slows, our focus shifts. It creates an opportunity to look outside ourselves and step out of habitual thinking patterns.
The Art of Perspective builds on this process. Participants are invited to engage with artwork through a different lens, not to judge it, but to notice what draws them in and what kinds of responses arise.
Bring a question, problem, or curiosity you would like to think about differently.
Participants often leave with a new perspective and a deeper awareness of how they think.
This workshop is independently organized and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the museum.
This is not an art class. It is a guided thinking workshop that uses art as a tool for observation. No creative skill or art knowledge is required.
ITINERARY
20 minutes of intros
90 minutes of independent, self-guided exploration in the galleries Participants move through the museum independently using simple prompts designed to slow observation and help them notice what holds their attention, what they move past, and how they interpret what they see.
90 minutes of group reflection and discussion following the museum visit We connect our new observations to real life: how you make decisions, where you get stuck, and how shifts in vantage point influence how you approach problems or choices.
WHAT DOES LOOKING AT ART DO?
Careful observation of art activates the brain’s pattern-recognition and reflective networks. In quiet museum environments, attention shifts away from reactive thinking and toward curiosity and insight.
Read more: Why Looking at Art Changes How the Brain Thinks →
DATES & LOCATION
Saturday, April 11 | de Young Museum | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Sunday, April 12 | SFMOMA | 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Please indicate your chosen date at checkout.
Group size: 3–8 participants
REGISTRATIONFacilitation Fee: $95(Note: This fee covers the facilitated workshop, workbook, and Zoom follow-up. Participants are responsible for their own museum admission; entry is free for Museum Members.)
Includes:
Professional facilitation
The Art of Observation online workbook — a short PDF sent before the workshop that introduces the observation prompts
40-minute Zoom follow-up — held two weeks later to discuss insights and how they are showing up in your work or daily life
ABOUT YOUR HOST
Ryan McAbery brings 22 years of experience in the arts as both a professional artist and a mentor to creative professionals and entrepreneurs. Artists spend years training their attention to notice patterns, relationships, and subtle visual details that many people move past quickly. This workshop draws on that practice of observation as a tool for reflection and clearer thinking.
VIRTUAL OPTION
Prefer an online format? A Study in Art and Presence – Online guided workshop {LINK HERE}
CANCELLATION & TRANSFER POLICY
Full refunds are available up to 7 days before the workshop. Within 7 days, tickets are non-refundable but transferable and may be applied as credit toward a future workshop.
San Francisco | April 2026
THE ART OF PERSPECTIVE A workshop for seeing your thinking more clearly
When we look at art, we slow down. Our breath slows, our focus shifts. It creates an opportunity to look outside ourselves and step out of habitual thinking patterns.
The Art of Perspective builds on this process. Participants are invited to engage with artwork through a different lens, not to judge it, but to notice what draws them in and what kinds of responses arise.
Bring a question, problem, or curiosity you would like to think about differently.
Participants often leave with a new perspective and a deeper awareness of how they think.
This workshop is independently organized and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the museum.
This is not an art class. It is a guided thinking workshop that uses art as a tool for observation. No creative skill or art knowledge is required.
ITINERARY
20 minutes of intros
90 minutes of independent, self-guided exploration in the galleries Participants move through the museum independently using simple prompts designed to slow observation and help them notice what holds their attention, what they move past, and how they interpret what they see.
90 minutes of group reflection and discussion following the museum visit We connect our new observations to real life: how you make decisions, where you get stuck, and how shifts in vantage point influence how you approach problems or choices.
WHAT DOES LOOKING AT ART DO?
Careful observation of art activates the brain’s pattern-recognition and reflective networks. In quiet museum environments, attention shifts away from reactive thinking and toward curiosity and insight.
Read more: Why Looking at Art Changes How the Brain Thinks →
DATES & LOCATION
Saturday, April 11 | de Young Museum | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Sunday, April 12 | SFMOMA | 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Please indicate your chosen date at checkout.
Group size: 3–8 participants
REGISTRATIONFacilitation Fee: $95(Note: This fee covers the facilitated workshop, workbook, and Zoom follow-up. Participants are responsible for their own museum admission; entry is free for Museum Members.)
Includes:
Professional facilitation
The Art of Observation online workbook — a short PDF sent before the workshop that introduces the observation prompts
40-minute Zoom follow-up — held two weeks later to discuss insights and how they are showing up in your work or daily life
ABOUT YOUR HOST
Ryan McAbery brings 22 years of experience in the arts as both a professional artist and a mentor to creative professionals and entrepreneurs. Artists spend years training their attention to notice patterns, relationships, and subtle visual details that many people move past quickly. This workshop draws on that practice of observation as a tool for reflection and clearer thinking.
VIRTUAL OPTION
Prefer an online format? A Study in Art and Presence – Online guided workshop {LINK HERE}
CANCELLATION & TRANSFER POLICY
Full refunds are available up to 7 days before the workshop. Within 7 days, tickets are non-refundable but transferable and may be applied as credit toward a future workshop.
