The Healing Power of Art

THE HEALING POWER OF ART Unlocking the Power of Artwork & Evidence-Based Design "The medical profession has come a long way in recognizing the healing benefits of art. My hope is that someday the arts will be considered as significant in everyone's lives as breathing fresh air, eating clean foods, and performing physical exercise." - Renée Phillips ART BY PRESCRIPTION? While that may be a bit ahead of the the healing power of art is not. In truth, art in hospitals and other healthcare facilities helps promote wellness in measurable ways. Take a stroll through some of the evidence surrounding the healing power of art and judge its true worth for yourself. curve, EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN In short, EBD relies on credible data to inform design that promotes wellbeing in many forms. According to a white paper from Americans for the Arts, a long list of sources point to a host of healing and wellness benefits from arts programming, creative art therapies and/or EBD in healthcare settings. "ART WASHES AWAY FROM THE SOUL THE DUST OF EVERYDAY LIFE." PABLO PICASSO ARTS PROGRAMMING. CREATIVE ART THERAPIES AND/OR EBD: INCREASE DECREASE Length of Hospital Visits Patient Satisfaction Patient The Need for Self-esteem Pain Medication Patient Levels of Situational Patient Resilience Depression & Anxiety Healthcare Related Infection Rates Patient Coping Medical Provider's Need for Sedation During Medical Procedures Recruitment & Retention Rate DEFINING ART: SLIPPERY DEFINITIONS Duchamp's Fountain R.MUt To 1917 IT'S UGLY. IT'S ART! ITS A URINAL. ALRICHT! DID YOU KNOW? Marcel Duchamp famously bought a "Bedfordshire" model porcelain urinal from J.L. Mott Iron Works in April 1917. After turning the urinal on its back, he signed it "R. MUTT 1917". Was it art? While the original vanished, it sparked a debate about the nature and origin of what actually constitutes art. Struggling to quantify beauty will be key to refining our understanding of the impact of art on healing. BEAUTY IN THE BRAIN OF THE BEHOLDER? A brain based definition of beauty is helpful when analyzing art in the healthcare setting. A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD When subjects from the 2011 University of London Study saw a painting they perceived as beautiful, according to NBC News, blood flow increased by 10% to the "joy response" part of the brain. On more careful analysis of the report University of London Study, a brain-based definition of beauty begins to bare quantifiable fruit. MOFC - THE BEAUTY CENTER? "Almost anything can be considered to be art, but only creations whose experience has, as a correlate, activity in MOFC would fall into the classification of beautiful art." - Tomohiro Ishizu, Semir Zeki. Toward A Brain-Based Theory of Beauty based definition of beauty STRESSFUL STATS: While not all stress has a negative effect, according to a 2015 Columbia University Medical Center study of 4,487 adults with coronary heart disease, stress and depression together cook up a lethal brew: 6.1% of respondents reported "concurrent high stress and high depressive symptoms." Six years later, 1,337 deaths or heart attacks occurred. Those experiencing both stress and depression were at greater risk. According to WomensHealth.gov, stress can also increase blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar levels. Over the long term, this may manifest: Mental disorders, like anxiety and depression Heart disease, obesity, or high blood pressure Abnormal heartbeats Menstrual Problems STRESS REDUCTION? Imagine reducing stress - the bringer of so many ills... According to NBC News: 60% of patients at the Cleveland Clinic reported stress ARI AS A STARI: reduction from the hospital's contemporary art collection, including fine art posters, public sculptures, abstract designs and nature images. While art is certainly not a cure-all, it's useful in fighting stress, creating hope and establishing narrative meaning when faced with health difficulties. "ART IS UNQUESTIONABLY ONE OF THE PUREST AND HICHEST ELEMENTS IN HUMAN HAPPINESS. IT TRAINS THE MIND THROUCH THE EYE, AND THE EYE THROUGH THE MIND. AS THE SUN COLORS FLOWERS. SO DOES ART COLOR LIFE." - JOHN LUBBOCK THE CRUX OF THE ARGUMENT.. Semantics, research and philosophy aside, measuring the healing benefits of art is not only possible, it is guiding major financial and personnel decisions at healthcare facilities across the nation. How? Hospitals, through their actions, are demonstrating trust in art as a factor in healing. The leading source in this line of study came from the Society for the Arts in Healthcare in partnership with The Joint Commission and Americans for the Arts in the State of the Field Report: Arts in Healthcare / 2009. "Variety of form & brilliancy of color in the object presented 45% OF 1807 HEALTHCARE FACILITIES SURVEYED IN 2007 HAD ARTS PROGRAMS to patients are an actual means of recovery." - Florence Nightingale ACCORDING TO THE STATE OF THE FIELD REPORT, OF THOSE SURVEYED, 61% REPRESENTED HOSPITALS. 56% of organizations cited their operating budget as the funding source for arts programs, up from 40% in a similar 2004 survey. "This growth in internal funding," the report details, "marks a significant increase in the support of arts programs by healthcare organizations." 79% of the time, when asked why healthcare facilities invest in the arts, respondents cited benefits to patients as the top reason. SOURCES Society for the Arts in Healthcare in partnership with The Joint Commission and Americans for the Arts: State of the Field Report: Arts in Healthcare / 2009 Americans for the Arts and National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military, Arts, Health and Well-Being across the Military Continuum Telegraph.co.uk: Duchamp's Fountain: The practical joke that launched an artistic revolution NBCnews.com: The Healing Power of Art: Can Hospital Collections Help? Journals.plos.org: Toward A Brain-Based Theory of Beauty based definition of beauty ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature circoutcomes.ahajournals.org: Concurrent Stress and Depressive Symptoms Increase Risk of Myocardial Infarction or Death Womenshealth.gov: Fact Sheet ART FORCE