On December 4, the American Academy in Rome presented a screening of Questions as Tools in Art, Science and the Humanities, a documentary that puts questions, not answers, at the center of creative endeavor. The film, made with supported from a MacArthur Foundation X-Grant, was based on interviews with twelve MacArthur Fellows, eight of whom were Academy Fellows or Residents, and directed by AAR President Peter N. Miller and Stanford University physicist and ceramist Hideo Mabuchi.
The screening, held in the Rose Auditorium at Cooper Union in New York, was followed by a lively panel discussion featuring three of the participants in the film—artist Mary Reid Kelley (2012 Fellow), engineer and preservationist John Ochsendorf (2008 Fellow, former AAR Director), and landscape architect Walter Hood (1997 Fellow, 2014 Resident)—with the film’s directors. Through their reflections, the panel explored the film’s central theme: the enduring power of questions.
The discussion illuminated the layered dynamics of inquiry across disciplines. Speakers noted the tension between institutional demands for definitive answers and the organic, often meandering path of intellectual discovery. “You don’t know the question until you’re done,” Ochsendorf remarked in the film, emphasizing the unpredictable direction that creativity can take. This sentiment resonated throughout the evening, with several panelists sharing how questions often “gestate” over time, emerging only when the moment is ripe.
Ochsendorf reflected on his early fascination with Inca suspension bridges, a curiosity dismissed by many as trivial but ultimately validated through his groundbreaking research. Hood described his lifelong navigation of professional spaces where he often felt out of place, explaining that his perseverance stems from a deeply personal sense of purpose rather than any certainty about outcomes. Mabuchi noted the parallels between artistic studios and scientific laboratories, observing that both can be spaces of serendipity where mistakes and failures pave the way to breakthroughs.
A recurring theme was the institutional challenges faced by question-askers. Several panelists critiqued grant systems that prioritize predefined outcomes, lamenting how this stifles exploratory research. Speaking as an artist, Kelley underscored the danger of institutions that purport to support creativity but which come with many strings attached: structures that preemptively shape creative pursuits, particularly in the context of issue-driven grants like those focused on hot-button topics such as climate change. “Artists need room to breathe,” she said, urging institutions to embrace what she called “low interference” environments.
The evening also touched on pedagogical insights. Mabuchi and Hood shared experiences mentoring students, advocating for an “apprenticeship of inquiry” that emphasizes personal exploration over prescriptive guidance. Others highlighted the value of solitude and introspection, with Kelley likening the artistic process to “welcoming different presences” into one’s work.
As the discussion drew to a close, the panelists returned to the notion of questions as “slow” and deeply personal endeavors. Whether in the studio, the lab, or the library, they argued, the best questions are not merely tools for discovery but companions that sustain a lifetime of curiosity and growth. For Kelley, questions are not just a pursuit; they are a comfort, a friend that guides her through the dark.
To watch the film, please visit questions.aarome.org. Video from the panel discussion is below.