Final Project

Intro:

In 1860, Florence Nightingale wrote about the effect beautiful objects have on sickness and recovery. The topic of art therapy has been researched for over one hundred years and has been researched even more in the past ten years.  Throughout the 1940’s and 50’s, artists who began discovering connections between art therapy and art education started their careers as art teachers and art historians. Professionals in art therapy have continued to emerge in the past ten years and more and more people have devoted their lives to helping others recover through art.

Barbara Earnst Prey is an artist whose primary goal is to paint for the sick and help them with their heeling process Prey has been extremely successful in her work and has gotten it put into many world-class institutions and private collections and has even been fortunate enough to land one of her paintings in the white house. She has inspired so many with her paintings and she gets hundreds of emails each day about installing her art in different places for people. Prey is known for her art around the world and has been honored nationally for many of her paintings. She is a role model to other artists who wish to spend their lives painting or creating great works of art for the better of the world.

My project idea was originally inspired by Tom in lecture when he mentioned how landscape paintings have been said to help patients with recovery from illness, surgery and the like. I began researching this topic and discovered that health can be defined as more than just physical well-being, but also mental and psychological well-being. It is important to pay attention to your physical, mental and psychological state. Art has been said to help people heal from physical, psychological or emotional trauma. Whether it is looking at the art of another, or using your own creative expression to make art pieces, patients have improved their health through art therapy.

Patients do not just improve through visual art therapy, but also applied art therapy. It can be very helpful for patients to express themselves creatively through drawing, painting, or doing other crafts and projects. Applying yourself in art and expressing your creativity is a good way to lift your spirits, improve your psychological state and reduce stress or tension.

In my research I discovered that art therapy can also mean music, not just drawing and painting. For years music has been incorporated into many cultures as healing rituals. Many have studied the healing power of music, and it has proven to reduce anxiety and restore emotional balance. It has been shown through studies and research that music can calm neural functioning in the brain, which reduces anxiety and restores proper functioning of the immune system. I think it is important to note that many different types of art can serve as therapy for people going through emotional or physical trauma because it shows how art therapy can be achieved through different media. Anyone who is uninterested in painting may be otherwise interested in music or drawing and visa versa. There is a type of art therapy for every type of person who is need of it.

Final Project:

For my project, I have decided to implement my own art therapy into the world by starting close to home and donating a painting to the UW hospital. This painting will be created based on a landscape picture I have taken of lake Mendota. I think by creating my own painting made from a picture I have taken is an original way to change the world by helping patients as they recover in the hospital. Installing my painting in one of the rooms will help every patient who stays in that room by giving them something to look at and reflect upon while they lay there.

Visual art therapy is effective by enhancing a persons moods, emotions, and overall psychological state. According to Heather L. Suckey and Jeremy Nobel in The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature, “Engagement with creative activities has the potential to contribute toward reducing stress and depression and can serve as a vehicle for alleviating the burden of chronic disease”. I truly believe that I can change lives by donating this painting and allowing the visual art to enhance the emotional state of patients in the hospital.

Another reason why I chose this as my project is I have had two surgeries in my lifetime, spinal fusion surgery and ACL reconstruction surgery, and I know what it is like going through intense recovery. Each day can be a struggle, and it is not only hard to go through physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. The healing process can be emotional because you can sometimes feel helpless, especially when you do not know when you are going to feel normal again. Recovering is a mental game because telling yourself to be positive and push through is a key step in reaching a healthy mental state and eventually reaching a healthy physical state. It is hard to keep out the negative thoughts about your disease, illness, or injury and this can make recovery a longer process. Relieving a patients stress and depression and improving their outlook is something I think will make a huge difference in the world. Many people go through physical disabilities, injuries, diseases, mental health issues and the like and each of these people deserves to fully recover and return to their normal lives as soon as possible.

To talk more about landscape painting specifically, I have found that they are more effective than sunsets because of the colors used. Sarah Grimes, the art coordinator at the UW hospital and clinics stated in our emails that daylight landscape scenes are more effective in recovery than night scenes because sunsets can be hard to read and the colors are a little too dark.

Many people devote their lives to art therapy to help those with disability, injury or disease find a better emotional well-being and recover from illness quickly and pleasantly. The American Art Therapy Association is an association of professional art therapists that are trained in both art and therapy and are educated about human development, psychological theories, clinical practice, spiritual, multicultural and artistic traditions, and the healing potential of art. The AATA states, “Research in the field confirms that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to become more physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy and functional, resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, handle life adjustments, and achieve insight.” People who have spent their lives researching and learning about art therapy have helped millions of people with emotional, physical and psychological recovery, which is why I want to do the same. Improvement in health and the quality of life is a valid contribution to the overall improvement of the world.

Although what I am doing for this project is a small scale way of contributing to the recovery of patients I think if I donate one and the hospital is pleased with it, I would be happy too paint more for them. Something I also thought about doing, as a continuation of this project is to create a student organization here at Madison that devotes their time to art therapy and studies the effects of their painting donations. I think that what I am doing is a good start in making a real difference for patients at the hospital here in Madison. The UW hospital is also not the only hospital in the area. St Mary’s hospital is also close by and I am interested in seeing if they are interested in receiving painting donations as well. This project leaves many open possibilities to continue with it and make it a larger scale project. I have always enjoyed art and since recovery has been a huge part of my life, this project has been a positive way for me to help people and improve our world. I have always thought volunteer work and charity are necessary in life to improve the lives of others and to learn more about yourself. I never realized there was a way to help others that related directly to my personal interests and was something I would really enjoy doing. I think if my painting makes a difference in at least one patient’s life, it has been a success and the more I donate, the more lives I hope to touch, even if it is just one at a time.

Painting:

This is the painting I have done and I am meeting with Sarah Grimes either tomorrow or Friday to put in into one of the hospital rooms. I hope she is willing to work with me more in the future so I am able to donate more paintings and get others involved in donating too.

I found this interesting video on youtube about how applied, expressive art therapy is effective around the world.

 

Stuckey, Heather L, DEd, and Jeremy Nobel. “The Connection Between Art, Healing,

and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature.” American Journal of Public Health, 100.2 (2010): 254-263.

 

Zafron, M L. “The Modern History of Art Therapy in the United States.” Choice, 49.3

(2011): 543-544.

 

MURAYAMA, K. “An Application of Art-therapy to Education of Female Art Students.”

Japanese Psychological Research, 36.4 (1994): 201-210.

 

Dunn-Snow, Peggy, and Georgette D’Amelio. “How Art Teachers Can Enhance

Artmaking as a Therapeutic Experience: Art Therapy and Art Education.” Art Education, 53.3 (2000): 46-53

 

“Barbara Ernst Prey.” Barbara Prey. Web. 24 Nov.

2011. <http://www.barbaraprey.com/main.html&gt;.

Intro Art Therapy

In 1860, Florence Nightingale wrote about the effect beautiful objects have on sickness and recovery. The topic of art therapy has been researched for over one hundred years and has been researched even more in the past ten years.  Throughout the 1940’s and 50’s, artists who began discovering connections between art therapy and art education started their careers as art teachers and art historians. Professionals in art therapy have continued to emerge in the past ten years and more and more people have devoted their lives to helping people recover through art.

Barbara Earnst Prey is an artist whose primary goal is to paint for the sick and help them with their heeling process Prey has been extremely successful in her work and has gotten it into many world-class institutions and private collections and has even been fortunate enough to land one of her paintings in the white house. She has inspired so many with her paintings and she gets hundreds of emails each day about installing her art in different places for people. Prey is known for her art around the world and has been honored nationally for many of her paintings. She is a role model to other artists who wish to spend their lives painting or creating great works of art for the better of the world.

My project idea was originally inspired by Tom in lecture when he mentioned how landscape paintings have been said to help patients with recovery from illness, surgery and the like. I began researching this topic and discovered that health can be defined as more than just physical well-being, but mental and psychological well-being as well. It is important to pay attention to your physical, mental and psychological state. Art has been said to help people heal from physical, psychological or emotional trauma. Whether it is looking at the art of another, or using your own creative expression to make art pieces, patients have improved their health through art therapy.

For my project, I have decided to implement my own art therapy into the world by starting close to home and donating a painting to the UW hospital. This painting will be created based on a landscape picture I have taken of lake Mendota. I think by creating my own painting made from a picture I have taken is an original way to change the world by helping patients as they recover in the hospital. Installing my painting in one of the rooms will help every patient who stays in that room by giving them something to look at and reflect upon while they lay there. Visual art therapy is effective by enhancing a persons moods, emotions, and overall psychological state. According to Heather L. Suckey and Jeremy Nobel in The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature, “Engagement with creative activities has the potential to contribute toward reducing stress and depression and can serve as a vehicle for alleviating the burden of chronic disease”. I truly believe that I can change lives by donating this painting and allowing the visual art to enhance the emotional state of patients in the hospital.

Another reason why I chose this as my project is I have had two surgeries in my lifetime, spinal fusion surgery and ACL reconstruction surgery, and I know what it is like going through intense recovery. Each day can be a struggle, and it is not only hard to go through physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. The healing process can be emotional because you can sometimes feel helpless, especially when you do not know when you are going to feel normal again. Recovering is a mental game because telling yourself to be positive and push through is a key step in reaching a healthy mental state and eventually reaching a healthy physical state. It is hard to keep out the negative thoughts about your disease, illness, or injury and this can make recovery a longer process. Relieving a patients stress and depression and improving their outlook is something I think will make a huge difference in the world. Many people go through physical disabilities, injuries, diseases, mental health issues and the like and each of these people deserves to fully recover and return to their normal lives as soon as possible.

To talk more about landscape painting specifically, I have found that they are ore effective than sunsets because of the colors used. Sarah Grimes, the art coordinator at the UW hospital and clinics stated in our emails that daylight landscape scenes are more effective in recovery than night scenes because sunsets can be hard to read and a little too dark.

Many people devote their lives to art therapy to help those with disability, injury or disease find a better emotional well-being and recover from illness quickly and pleasantly. The American Art Therapy Association is an association of professional art therapists that are trained in both art and therapy and are educated about human development, psychological theories, clinical practice, spiritual, multicultural and artistic traditions, and the healing potential of art. The AATA states, “Research in the field confirms that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to become more physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy and functional, resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, handle life adjustments, and achieve insight.” People who have spent their lives researching and learning about art therapy have helped millions of people with emotional, physical and psychological recovery, which is why I want to do the same. Improvement in health and the quality of life is a valid contribution to the overall improvement of the world.

Although what I am doing for this project is a small scale way of contributing to the recovery of patients I think if I donate one and the hospital is pleased with it, I would be happy too paint more for them. Something I also thought about doing, as a continuation of this project is to create a student organization here at Madison that devotes their time to art therapy and studies the effects of their painting donations. I think that what I am doing is a good start in making a real difference for patients at the hospital here in Madison. The UW hospital is also not the only hospital in the area. St Mary’s hospital is also close by and I am interested in seeing if they are interested in receiving painting donations as well. This project leaves many open possibilities to continue with it and make it a larger scale project. I have always enjoyed art and since recovery has been a huge part of my life, this project has been a positive way for me to help people and improve our world.

Stuckey, Heather L, DEd, and Jeremy Nobel. “The Connection Between Art, Healing,

and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature.” American Journal of Public Health, 100.2 (2010): 254-263.

Zafron, M L. “The Modern History of Art Therapy in the United States.” Choice, 49.3

(2011): 543-544.

MURAYAMA, K. “An Application of Art-therapy to Education of Female Art Students.”

Japanese Psychological Research, 36.4 (1994): 201-210.

Dunn-Snow, Peggy, and Georgette D’Amelio. “How Art Teachers Can Enhance

Artmaking as a Therapeutic Experience: Art Therapy and Art Education.” Art Education, 53.3 (2000): 46-53

“Barbara Ernst Prey.” Barbara Prey. Web. 24 Nov.

2011.<http://www.barbaraprey.com/main.html&gt;.

Art Therapy Update

After recently speaking with the Art Coordinator of the UW hospital I found out that they do not keep original art in the rooms and are interested in doing so. The woman I emailed with, Sarah Grimes, said she would love for me to donate a landscape painting. I sent her a picture of another painting I did in the past and she liked it so I have now been figuring out exactly what to paint for the hospital. She said she would like me to paint from a picture I take myself, and for it to have a Madison, WI feel to it. Tomorrow morning I plan on walking over to the docks by the boathouse and taking a picture of lake Mendota from the docks. I think this would give the painting both a landscape and a Madison feel and would be effective at helping patients with their recoveries. Although I previously posted a picture of a painting I had started and hope to use for this project, I have re thought what to paint since then and will be starting completely new with the picture I take. I am hoping to not only donate this painting, but take my project to the next level and continue to donate in the future as much as the hospital will allow.

Project Proposal-Art Therapy

My Project is to paint a landscape painting and donate it to a hospital to be put in a patient recovery room. When doing my research I found several scholarly articles about how installations of artwork and paintings in hospitals or hospital rooms can help a patient recover faster as it creates a more positive, happy environment. I think that although putting one piece of art in one hospital is a small scale way of making the world a better place, I believe putting this one painting in one room will help thousands of patients have a better recovery. Even though it is just one room, every patient who ever stays in that room will see the painting and hopefully experience a better recovery and over time, this will have added up to helping a huge amount of patients.

There are several reasons why I decided to do this Project including my love for painting and art, and my personal experiences with hospitals and recoveries. When Tom mentioned in lecture one day how landscape paintings in hospital rooms have helped patients with recovery, it sparked my interest immediately and I began researching from there. I have still yet to hear back from the hospital, but if I do not get an email back within a few days my plan is to take a bus down there and find out who I need to speak with to put my plan into action. If the UW hospital turns me down, I plan on trying other hospitals in the surrounding area such as St. Mary’s. I think my project will make the world a better place because having been through two surgeries, I know how difficult recovery can be, and anything to speed the process or make it smoother will help the lives of many people and hopefully improve their quality of life.

This is a painting I started a while ago that I may use if the hospital approves my project.