NEW YORK, NY.- The FBI, NATO, State Department, Interpol, NYPD, Scotland Yard, Fortune 500 companies, Navy Seals and more have all hired New York Times Best-Selling attorney, former Frick Collection Head of Education and art historian Amy E. Herman (media features include NPR, BBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review and more) to help them solve their toughest problems.

Herman uses works of art to teach people how to hone their perception and visual intelligence, presenting a paradigm-shifting twist on problem-solving.

Astute observation is critical to professional success. The ability to observe is grounded in the perception of visual information and the effective articulation of what the eye sees and what the brain interprets. Learning to reconsider how we perceive the world around us optimizes the critical nexus between the eye and the mind.

Now, with FIXED.: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem Solving (HarperWave; Dec. 14, 2021), readers can access the secret weapon some of the top (and most top secret) organizations in the world and their leaders have been using for years behind closed doors to solve their most difficult problems.

Herman teaches how to see things differently, using art to challenge our default thinking and open up possibilities we overlook without even realizing it.

(Rest assured that you needn’t be an art buff to benefit from Herman’s approach – all you need is a willingness to open the eyes and the mind.)

Herman’s unexpected, insightful, and dare we say downright delightful methodology is sought after by leaders and professionals for whom failure is catastrophic. What do you have to lose?

Herman addresses:

• How does looking at art help me rethink my work?

• How do you know your method is working?

• How do you measure success when you are teaching people to look at art and take the skills back to their jobs with them?

• If you can’t get to a museum, what’s another good way to access art to employ this method of thinking?




• What if my work isn’t creative? Can we still use an artist’s creative process to solve more mundane problems?

• Do women take in more information?

• The 3 questions you must ask to master the fine art of problem-solving

• What situational awareness is exactly and how to increase yours

• How to “clean your lens, change your shoes” and define the project

• How to break problems down into bite-sized pieces

• How to recognize relationships and red herrings

• How to set a deadline and just do it

• Managing contradictions and “repairing mistakes with gold”

Amy Herman is a lawyer and art historian who uses works of art to sharpen observation, analysis, and communication skills. By showing people how to look closely at painting, sculpture, and photography, she helps them hone their visual intelligence to recognize the most pertinent and useful information as well as recognize biases that impede decision-making. She developed her Art of Perception seminar in 2000 to improve medical students' observation and communication skills with their patients when she was the Head of Education at The Frick Collection in New York City. She subsequently adapted the program for a wide range of professionals and leads sessions internationally for the New York City Police Department, the FBI, the French National Police, the Department of Defense, Interpol, the State Department, Fortune 500 companies, first responders, the military, and the intelligence community. In her highly participatory presentation, she demonstrates the relevance of visual literacy across the professional spectrum and how the analysis of works of art affords participants in her program an innovative way to refresh their sense of critical inquiry and reconsider the skills necessary for improved performance and effective leadership. The program has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Evening News, and Smithsonian Magazine, among others. Her TED talk, A Lesson in Looking, went live in December 2018. Ms. Herman holds an A.B., a J.D., and an M.A. in art history. Her book, Visual Intelligence, was published in May 2016 and was on both The New York Times and Washington Post Best Seller Lists.

Testimonials for The Art of Perception

“You are an eye opener to all.” - Supervisory Investigative Specialist, Federal Bureau of Investigation

“I am a new detective with Septa Transit Police in Philly. I just wanted to thank you for your time, and wanted to let you know the class was awesome. My main responsibility in the capacity I am in is to pull video and pictures of crimes and suspects/actors, etc. So for me to look at the whole picture and not just see the person with a weapon, but everything else in area and people’s reactions and everything else with regards to what I am looking at... it was a very very good tool for me to get and I wanted to thank you sincerely for coming down to teach us. I feel very lucky that I was asked to attend this class.”

“I recently attended your seminar at the FBINAA refresher training in Gettysburg. Not knowing what to expect, I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed with your approach to addressing the concept of more factual observation. I find myself applying the techniques discussed every day now. After one day, I am sure this training would greatly benefit my officers in learning how to improve their perception skills.” - Deputy Chief and Director of Public Safety for the Township of East Brunswick, NJ