“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.”
“Creative placemaking not only lifts up a neighborhood physically with murals and sculpture and investments in artist housing, galleries and theaters, it helps strengthen the local economy, as eye-catching storefronts, new cultural activities and intriguing installations bring in customers and attract new businesses. It increases a sense of community identity and local pride. It can make a neighborhood a more interesting, livable place.
But most importantly arts and culture are a powerful force that help shape a neighborhood’s narrative — telling the story of what kind of place it is, changing its reputation and its trajectory.”
“After analyzing 15 studies that had people looking at art for different reasons, neuroscientist Oshin Vartanian explained in a Q&A that “areas of the brain involved in processing emotion and those that activate our pleasure and reward systems are also being engaged.” Essentially, parts of the brain that are associated with contemplation are automatically sparked when viewing art, even if they aren’t thinking about it critically.”
“Arts and the creative class, historically, have made good cities great. The broader we are, the better we are. Art inspires, ignites thought and conversation, and leads to tolerance and change. We are proud to be a part of the dialogue in our community.”
“I wanted the patients, parents, and nurses to all feel relaxed, happy, and stimulated by the environment that surrounds them, and by using design, you can lift the mood and well-being of the people there.”
“Arts and culture are a powerful force. Powerful enough to transform physical space, spur economic activity and tell a story about a place. They can change the reputation and the trajectory of a community.”
“We all have natural reactions to color—a clear blue sky can make you feel more peaceful; a bunch of daffodils, more optimistic.”
“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.”
“Art is a powerful agent for change and there’s a lot that firms can learn from the power of the image to drive sustainability.”
“The benefit of art in healthcare is in the experience of the art. While it may be dismissed by some as merely decoration, decades of research in Europe and the United States concludes otherwise. The role art plays in an overall strategy to produce healing environments has been measured against health and economic outcomes.”
‘”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.’
“Researchers conducted two experiments designed to measure the affect positive emotions, such as amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, joy, love, and pride, have on the cytokine Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a marker for inflammation.”
‘”That awe, wonder, and beauty promote healthier levels of cytokines suggests that the things we do to experience these emotions — a walk in nature, losing oneself in music, beholding art — has a direct influence upon health and life expectancy,” Dacher Keltner, co-author of the study and psychologist at the University of California-Berkeley, said in a press release.’
“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 culture of a community significantly shapes debate and action that lead to development. Local culture also presents unique options for locally based economic, social, and other developments. Local understandings and interpretations of a community’s history reflect past events that feed into and are partially driven by the demands, sentiments, and interests of those in the present. This makes it crucial for community development practitioners to consider the cultural importance of efforts to improve local well-being.”
“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.”
“Chromotherapy attempts to balance the energy and the health of the organism using colors, both preventively and curatively.”
“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.”
“Placemaking is the art of developing a public space that attracts people. In the process, it almost always pays economic dividends back to the community.”
“Places that incorporate local heritage and artists attract more tourists, and residents feel a stronger connection to such places. The Arts and Economic Prosperity III report from Americans for the Arts states that annual support in the arts generates a 7:1 return.”
“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.”
“More specifically, there is evidence that engagement with artistic activities, either as an observer of the creative efforts of others or as an initiator of one’s own creative efforts, can enhance one’s moods, emotions, and other psychological states as well as have a salient impact on important physiological parameters.”
“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. “
“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.”
“Colors play a vital role in our daily lives and it has been proven that our activities and responses are influenced by them.”
“Increase connection to nature. A number of studies have presented strong evidence that even 3 to 5 minutes of contact with nature can significantly decrease stress, reduce anger and fear, and increase pleasant feelings.8-11 This calming effect can be achieved by providing views to the outside, interior gardens or aquariums, or artwork with a nature theme.”