“Embodied cognition is “the sense of drawing you in and making you really feel the quality of the paintings,” Tyler explained. For example, viewers appreciate Botticelli’s painting “The Birth of Venus” because it makes them feel as though they are floating in with Venus on the seashell. Similarly, viewers can feel the flinging of the paint on the canvas when appreciating a drip painting by Jackson Pollock.”
“It made me think as I saw other kids being pushed in wheelchairs by their parents, how awesome it is to be able to have something like that to take your mind off everything you are going through,”
“Great nature and art boost the immune system by lowering levels of chemicals that cause inflammation that can trigger diabetes, heart attacks and other illnesses.”
“Patients, especially those anxious about undergoing procedures and tests, respond well to the visual stimulation, finding it reduces their stress. And despite the fact that many hospitals face budget shortfalls, they often can purchase or commission art through funds supported by donations, or those built into budgets for new construction.”
“The arts and cultural industries provide jobs, attract investments, and stimulate local economies through tourism, consumer purchases, and tax revenue. Perhaps more significantly, they also prepare workers to participate in the contemporary workforce, create communities with high appeal to residents, businesses, and tourists, and contribute to the economic success of other sectors.”
“Nanda, who has a doctorate in architecture with a specialization in health-care systems and design, says scientific studies show that art can aid in the recovery of patients, shorten hospital stays and help manage pain. But she says it has to be the right art — vivid paintings of landscapes, friendly faces and familiar objects can lower blood pressure and heart rate, while abstract pictures can have the opposite effect.”
“This report features award winning new hospital architecture, hospital art and their impact on the health of patients.”
“Research has shown the thoughtful use of colours, lights, art, texture and performing arts in hospitals can aid a person’s recovery, and create a lasting impression to everyone who visits and works there.”
“What the researchers did find was significant improvement in facility-related satisfaction scores such as noise level (39.9 percent vs. 59.3 percent), pleasantness of décor (33.6 percent vs. 66.2 percent), and visitor (family) accommodation and comfort (50 percent vs. 70.3 percent). Likewise, there was great improvement in perception of room cleanliness (49 percent vs. 68.6 percent). Also there was a significant (5 percent) increase in patients who would recommend the hospital to others.”
“The “Arts & Economic Prosperity IV” study is a valuable document with tons of detailed information drawn from 182 geographical regions.
Southeastern Pennsylvania’s cultural organizations and their audiences have a combined impact of $3.3 billion on the region’s economy.
Arts and culture supports 44,000 full-time equivalent jobs throughout the region.
Arts and culture returns $1.04 billion in household income to Southeastern Pennsylvania residents.
Cultural tourism is a valuable asset for the region, injecting nearly $230 million in direct spending into the economy.”
“With studies showing a direct link between the content of images and the brain’s reaction to pain, stress, and anxiety, hospitals are considering and choosing artworks based on the evidence and giving it a higher priority than merely decoration for sterile rooms and corridors.”
“While hospitals around the country are beginning to embrace the beauty of a restorative environment in the healing process, New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) is training interior designers to specialize in assisting healthcare facilities and hospitals to curate an environment designed for healing.”
“The activities of the arts and culture sector and local economic vitality are connected in many ways. Arts, culture, and creativity can
-improve a community’s competitive edge
-create a foundation for defining a sense of place
-attract new and visiting populations
-integrate the visions of community and business leaders
-contribute to the development of a skilled workforce”
“In 2006 a Department of Health Working Group on Arts and Health reported that the arts have ‘a clear contribution to make and offer major opportunities in the delivery of better health, wellbeing and improved experience for patients, service users and staff alike’.”
“The fact that patients frequently express a preference for landscape and nature scenes is consistent with this observation and with evolutionary psychological theories which predict positive emotional responses to flourishing natural environments.”
‘”If an art installation gets a patient out of his room or paintings take a person’s mind off their pain and lower their stress levels, the art isn’t just decorative anymore. It’s part of the entire model of care,” said Harris, who oversees a $1.5 million art program, funded entirely by philanthropic donors, that launched last December.’
“Rural America is undergoing a profound economic restructuring, and many small towns have turned to their cultural and arts assets as sources of new economic development and a hook for retaining and recruiting young talent. Regional site visits to Wilson and Kinston, North Carolina, provided ideas and inspiration for arts revitalization strategies.”
“The arts are essential to the health and vitality of our communities and our nation. They improve the quality of life in our cities and town. They enhance community development; spur urban renewal; attract new businesses; draw tourism dollars; and create an environment that attracts skilled, educated workers and builds your third millennium workforce.”
“Arts and music education programs are mandatory in countries that rank consistently among the highest for math and science test scores, like Japan, Hungary, and the Netherlands.”
“Hospitals are turning to art as part of a broader push to create a healing environment as studies show that visual art can help reduce stress for patients and increase satisfaction with care. Dr. Iva Fattorini and Jennifer Finkel, who are both involved with art at the Cleveland Clinic, discuss on Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero.”
“Adam Bryant discusses the amorphous nature – but extreme importance – of healthy company culture. Bryant writes the feature Corner Office for The New York Times. “
“The experience of art in whatever form has long been characterized as pleasurable both to the senses and to the intellect (Dutton, 2009).
These findings are consistent with our hypothesis, leading us to propose that the appeal of visual art involves activation of reward circuitry based on artistic status alone and independently of its hedonic value.”
“Such “evidence-based design,” which draws its principles from controlled studies, is the great hope of professionals who want to upgrade the look and feel of medical centers.”
“Imaging technology revealed that when an individual viewed a painting, rather than a simple photograph, the ventral striatum (part of the reward system) was more strongly activated.”
‘Guest Curator Dr. Gary Vikan and Collaborator Dr. Charles “Ed” Connor discusses the new The American Association for the Advancement of Science exhibit “Beauty and the Brain Revealed.”‘ | AAAS/CARLA SCHAFFER
“In recent years, design for health care environments has begun to include esthetic enhancements in an attempt to reduce stress and anxiety, increase patient satisfaction, and promote health and healing. In this paper, the authors survey the existing research on those elements of the built and natural environment most often asserted by proponents as being inherently healing or promoting health.”
“Our review found evidence that environmental enhancements can have a positive impact on health and well-being of staff and patients in mental healthcare.”
“We put people in a scanner and showed them a series of paintings every ten seconds. We then measured the change in blood flow in one part of the brain.”
“The reaction was immediate. What we found was the increase in blood flow was in proportion to how much the painting was liked.”
“The blood flow increased for a beautiful painting just as it increases when you look at somebody you love. It tells us art induces a feel good sensation direct to the brain.”
“It starts with the inherent value of culture, continues through all the social and educational benefits and only ends with the economic.”
“The inherent value of culture, its contribution to society, its symbiotic relationship with education and, yes, its economic power (but in that order) … this is what we call the holistic case for public support of arts and culture.”
“More than anything, art and positive distractions provide a connection to humanity. Art is a very human thing, done by another human being and created for others to enjoy. It has, therefore, an innate wonder and warmth.”
“If your buddies give you a hard time for preferring Monet over the Mets, you can hit them with this: a study finds that an appreciation of culture and the arts can do wonders for a man’s health, including lowering his risk of anxiety and depression. “
“The arts give people a creative voice, a path to leadership, a way to express shared values, and to create a shared experience working together toward meaningful outcomes. There is consensus among social scientists, historians, educators, and activists that it is exactly these kinds of experiences that helps to build community. Working in and through the arts becomes another way to help people meet the economic, ecological and social challenges of the future.”
“Donald Urquhart is one of the two Art Co-ordinators for the new Mental Health and Community Facility and in this piece he tells us about his inspirations, and the evidence he draws on, for the value of integrating contemplative aspects of nature within art into the healthcare environment.”
“Recent research on visual art has focused on its psychological and physiological effects, mostly in clinical populations. It has shown that visual art interventions have stabilizing effects on the individual by reducing distress, increasing self-reflection and self-awareness, altering behaviour and thinking patterns, and also by normalizing heart rate, blood pressure, or even cortisol levels.”
“People who are exposed to natural scenes aren’t just happier or more comfortable; the very building blocks of their physiological well-being also respond positively.”
“From discussions with several health boards and design teams, the key considerations and opportunities highlighted include staff and patient engagement, how the art can be actively used, how it affects the users of the building and how it can be used directly to improve health and support change.”
“But it is really since the 1980s that the links between art and health have been seriously explored. Today a growing number of patients, health and social care professionals, researchers, policy makers, architects and planners recognise that the arts are integral to health.”