Theme: Mental Health and Wellness
Studies increasingly show that access to the visual arts can be extremely beneficial to our mental health and wellness. Around the world, in places such as Canada, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, doctors even prescribe a visit to an art museum to help individuals who are living with depression and anxiety. Many art museums offer programs for people living with dementia. These programs focus on sensory exercises, memory recall, and social interactions. A recent study from the University of Pennsylvania shows that even one visit to an art museum can greatly reduce stress. Engaging with visual art – through looking and creation – can also reduce loneliness, stigma, and isolation, and increase our empathy and happiness.
The act of making art is also beneficial for both our mental and physical health. Art therapists use artmaking to express our thoughts and emotions in ways that can’t always be expressed through words. Artwork made in guided art therapy is not created for a specific final product, but rather for the process of creation itself. When creating art on an intuitive level, we can release pent-up emotions or enter a meditative state.
Outside of art therapy, creating artwork can help improve self-esteem, reduce stress, connect with others, and improve focus, among many other benefits. Whenever you feel stressed, unfocused, or low, consider an activity such as coloring, drawing, or sculpting with an easy-to-access material such as Play-Doh.
[1745592034].jpg)
Erik Ruin, Desire is Full of Endless Distances, screenprint, 2018, 2024.20.12.
Art About Mental Health and Wellness in the Collection
Kelly Trisch, Clare in the Trees, photograph, 2012, 2012.68.1.
Rachel House, We're Still Here: Red Wheelies, 2-color offset printed poster, 2015, 2020.23.82.
Seymour Rosofsky, Untitled (Mirror Pool), lithograph, 1973, 2007.659.1.
[1744126867].jpg)
Jane Dandron, With My Head in My Hands, engraving, aquatint, and Chine-Collé, 2018, 2018.89.1.
[1744126979].jpg)
Beverly Adams, Oh That We Could Shed Our Skin and Begin Again, oil on linen, 2017, 2018.10.1.
Megan Daniels, You Earned It, inkjet color print on luster, 2024, 2024.63.1.
Incorporating Artwork about Mental Health into your Curriculum
The GVSU Art Museum can integrate artwork into your classroom discussions, assignments, projects, and more. Check out our calendar to see if one of our already planned events meets a goal for your students or reach out to us directly to plan something tailored to your needs. We can bring artwork to your classroom; you can visit our art storage or office spaces; or book a tour of an exhibition or space on campus.
The GVSU Art Museum team can work with faculty one-on-one to create lesson plans or assignments. Whether you are looking for a behind-the-scenes experience, something hands-on, a creative usage of art in your classroom, or a more traditional assignment, we are here to assist you.
Do you feel like your students are struggling with burnout or are more stressed than usual? Studies suggest that over 60% of U.S. college students report feeling very stressed, and on GVSU’s Counseling Center website, stress and anxiety are listed as top concerns for GVSU students. One unique offering we can bring to your classroom is an art-making experience. An art experience can be tailored to your curriculum, but we can also engage your students in conversation about wellness, showcase artworks which support this theme, and offer a mindfully guided art-making activity to help students reduce stress. While this might seem unusual in the college classroom, reports from other U.S. colleges show that bringing artmaking into the classroom or into college social settings can help reduce cortisol, increase dopamine, and create a feeling of belonging among students.
To talk with us about creating a curriculum connection, please contact:
Jessica Sundstrom, Learning and Outreach Manager
[email protected]
Daniel Belardinelli, The Art of Coming Undone, nail polish and gesso on paper, 2019, 2019.65.1.
Explore More Mental Health Themes in the Collection
Madison Cruz, Voices in Isolation, photograph, 2020, 2021.7.1.
Anxiety, Depression & Mental Health
Molly Fair, Self-Care, screenprint, 2019, 2024.20.10.
Body Image & Self- Compassion
Adrianne Hollermans, Constructing Memory, photo transfer and oil on canvas, 2008, 2008.119.1.
Deborah A. Rockman, Study for Death Dream, graphite on gessoed paper, ca. 2002, 2002.540.1.
Bill Chardon, Mom's Hands, photograph, 2019, 2019.51.1.
[1744053746].jpg)
Pete Railand, What Can We Grow From Crisis, screenprint, 2021, 2024.20.19.
Activities and Resources
Past Exhibition: Sorrow/Fullness: A Reflection on Mourning
This exhibition featured the work of three metalsmith artists; Renée Zettle-Sterling, Sue Amendolara, and Adrienne Grafton who use art to express their personal experiences of significant loss.
Blog: Remembering a Loved One: Mourning Jewelry
Throughout human existence, different cultures have established ways to honor their deceased loved ones. One way is through remembrance or mourning jewelry.
Past Exhibition: Valid and Valued: Emphasizing Empathy toward Mental Health
This exhibition featured works of art that represented a variety of mental illnesses and their various manifestations.
Header Images:
Left
Katherine Williams, Entangled, digital painting, 2020, 2021.9.3.
Elizabeth Dupree, Fortitude: Piece #6, digital print, 2018.39.1.
Annaka Pacino, Living Room, intaglio etching, 2019, 2019.74.4.
Center
Rufus Snoddy, Ignorance & Revelation, mixed media, 2019, 2019.64.2.
Yoyoe and Kirsten Brenzón, I Am Human, photograph on canvas, 2012, 2024.41.5.
Ryan Crawley, Therapy Conversations 40, acrylic on canvas, 2023, 2023.16.1.
Right
Manuel Diaz, Disorder: Attention!, archival digital color photograph, 2018, 2018.40.2.
Stanley Krohmer, Grief Again, oil on canvas, 2014, 2023.36.1.
Mark Wilfred Rheaume Jr., Untitled, digital photograph, 2014, 2014.42.1.
Art on Campus
For more information about the artwork selection and installation process, please contact our Project Manager, Alison Christensen; [email protected].
University Art Collection
For questions related to any artwork in the University Art Collection, in storage or on view, please contact our Collections Manager, Nicole Webb; [email protected].
Learning
For questions about integrating artwork into curriculum, please contact our Learning and Outreach Manager, Jessica Sundstrom; [email protected].