Why do we tell stories?

Stories connect us to one another and help us make sense of our experiences. They can be funny, dramatic, sad, fact- or fiction-based, perplexing, transforming, or confirming. So can works of art. The Stories You Tell creates a space where visitors are invited to respond to artworks by crafting their own stories. Works by Sue Abramson, Romare Bearden, Mary Cassatt, Henry Taylor, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, among others, are your springboards to creativity! Write and post a six-word story in the gallery, riff on other visitors’ ideas for larger collaborative stories, and respond to artworks using emojis. We’ll highlight your stories as the project unfolds.

The Stories You Tell also serves as a social space that will host salon-style conversations. All of these activities are a wonderful point of departure for reacting to Carnegie Museum of Art’s amazing collection, connecting ideas and narratives to works in our Scaife Galleries.