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William: Experiencing art is a

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highly subjective experience.

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What draws one person to a given

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work can completely turn off

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somebody else.

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There is a new exhibit about the

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intersection of art and

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neuroscience that explores how

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our brains process aesthetic

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experiences.

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This is part of our ongoing look

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at the intersection of health

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and art.

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>> On a recent evening at

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Scottsdale, a neuroscientist at

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a museum educator led a tour of

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an art exhibit exploit

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intersection of beauty and the

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brain.

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He's a leader in the field of

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narrow aesthetics, which sees

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how the brain experiences

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beauty.

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>> Is one of the more important

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things that we react to.

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We react to people based on how

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they look.

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We react to our environments.

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This is a fundamental aspect of

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what it means to be human.

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Reporter: D exhibit is a visual

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exploration of this field.

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It asks some meta-questions.

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What is our brain doing when we

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look at art?

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>> One of the things we are

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trying to do is try to give

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people some tools to look at art

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that is informed by research.

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This is where the idea comes

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from.

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Reporter: It is a system for

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engaging in an artwork.

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Typically when you have this,

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you are activating all three at

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the same time.

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I grouped it into those three

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categories.

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I chose artwork that strongly

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represents this.

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She curated this exhibit.

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She had always been curious

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about what draws people to

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certain pieces.

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>> I found out that science is

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asking the same question.

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We have been asking the same

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questions.

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Reporter: The exhibit contains

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pieces that may be more

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objectively pleasing to the iPad

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there are discordant objects in

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the show that might cause one to

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question what the aesthetic is

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at all.

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>> I wanted to bring in a piece

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that will confuse you.

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Reporter: This painting might be

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more accessible to the average

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viewer.

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It is a rendition of the brain.

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>> Is him in profile.

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It is deep in the front-end in

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the center of your brain.

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Reporter: It is an area of the

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brain that shows increased

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activity when a person is

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resting or engaged in personal

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reflection.

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There was a state she was in at

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times.

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>> I would like people to

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challenge their way of looking

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at the brain.

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Experiencing it.

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Communicating and sharing.

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That is how we learn and grow.

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Reporter: His work explores what

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is at stake when we think about

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beauty in society.

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>> We discriminate things pretty

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well.

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That is a problem.

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People who are attracted get

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higher pay.

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They get hired more easily.

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Reporter: He is hoping that

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exhibit visitors will come away

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with tools to engage more deeply

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with the world.

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William: That is the goal.

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We think this is a vehicle for

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self-discovery.

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What is it telling you about

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yourself?

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This becomes a vehicle for

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people.

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Reporter: The exhibit runs

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through mid-january.

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♪