The School of Radical Attention will be IN RESIDENCY at the National Academy of Design from March 31st to April 25th, offering a slate of public programs on the study and practice of radical attention. In this series of hour-long workshops each inspired by a prominent pedagogical thinker, we bring their vision of FUTURE SCHOOLS to life through somatic practice and guided discussion.
Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) was a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, author, passionate teacher, and deep observer of human behavior. His pedagogy, rooted in an attention to theatrical boundaries and human presence, established him as a pillar of American Theatre. In this workshop, we will draw on the core of his research from his most famous work, Our Town (1938), to explore the question: how do we say goodbye?
In our attention practice sessions, we use artifacts from the work of visionary thinkers and educators as an occasion for collective experiences of attention. No prior knowledge of Thornton Wilder is necessary; all are welcome!