Understanding the Hand: Physical Anthropology Workshop with Sam Dunlap, PhD

The hand as an expression of the mind and personality is second only to the face in the tradition of dissection and illustration that flourished in the Renaissance and continues to inform both art and science. Basic anatomical dissection, illustration, and knowledge continue to be fundamental in many fields from evolutionary biology to surgery, medical training, and forensic science. This workshop will offer the opportunity to explore the human hand and its anatomy, which will be demonstrated with at least three dissections. Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) and orang (Pongo pygmaeus) forelimbs will be available along with other comparative skeletal material. We will discuss hand evolution, embryology and anatomy, and the artistic importance of the hand since its appearance in the upper palaeolithic cave art. We will also analyze the hand illustrations of daVinci, Vesalius, Rembrandt, and artists up to and including the abstract expressionists.

Please note, if you have already registered for the Festival, and now wish to register for a workshop, please contact Sinead Moloney at smoloney@nyam.org or 212-822-7301.