Art, Health, & Well-being

image of nursing and medical students in art galleries image of medical and nursing students in art galleries

The Lowe Art Museum is exploring the intersection of the arts, health, and well-being through a series of programs and University of Miami research initiatives. Our programs and research integrate art forms to a variety of healthcare and community settings for therapeutic, educational, professional development, and creative purposes.

Art, Health, & Well-being Initiatives at the Lowe

Fine Art of Health Care

Mindfulness at the Lowe

General Resources

Fine Art of Health Care

Founded in 2009, the Lowe's Fine Art of Health Care (FAoHC) is a nationally recognized interprofessional program that addresses the challenges of clinical diagnosis and inter-professional teamwork. The workshops capitalize on the power of the visual arts to promote the communication and analysis skills necessary to address ambiguity. Participants also learn about self-care, as they are encouraged to slow down and unwind in the Lowe's galleries. The program aspires to enhance medical and nursing education by promoting deep observation, interpretation, analysis, collaboration, speculative thinking, and reflection on connections between art-viewing, collaboration, and patient interactions.

How it Works
The Lowe offers tailor-made workshops, approximately 2 to 3 hours in length, for groups of 10 to 60 people. Trained educators lead interactive group discussions using the Visual Thinking Strategies method, with a focus on skill-building. Group participants, working in pairs, engage the rest of the group in a discussion, providing hands-on experience using their newly learned skills.

Learning Outcomes
FAoHC interactive workshops address the challenges of clinical diagnosis and inter-professional teamwork. The workshops capitalize on the power of the visual arts to promote the communication and analysis skills necessary to address ambiguity.

Through FAoHC workshops, participants:

  • Engage in collaborative meaning-making
  • Practice active looking and communication through art
  • Reflect on the process of looking and observing
  • Reflect on connections between art-viewing, collaboration, and patient interactions
  • Engage in deep observation, interpretation, analysis, collaboration, speculative thinking, and “slowing down”

                                                                   

“The Fine Art of Health Care program unites students from a variety of disciplines in honing their skills of observation, collaboration, and ultimately of appreciation for each other’s views and expertise, to make all participants better patient caregivers.” – Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, Professor of Medicine Chief, Division of Hematology Leukemia Section, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

 

Fine Art of Health Care Publications and Resources

Mindfulness at the Lowe

  • Slow Looking: Slow Looking with the Lowe is an interactive deep engagement with two works of art, guided by a skilled museum educator. The purpose is to slow down and experience the feelings of calm, centeredness, and insight that come with engaging with art beyond the typical seconds-long attention span. No prior art history knowledge is required to attend and participate. Check our calendar for upcoming Slow Looking programs by clicking here.
  • The Art of Mindfulness: Established in 2016, the Art of Mindfulness program invites audiences to recharge, refocus, and reclaim the day with a short guided meditation. This program is co-sponsored by UM's Mindfulness in Law Program and Mindfultime. 
  • UMindfulness: The University of Miami’s Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative (UMindfulness) is an inter-disciplinary collaboration across the university that brings together cutting-edge brain research and mindfulness/contemplative practice training. Click here to learn more.
  • Mindful Looking: Between 2015-2022, the Mindfulness in Law Program and the Lowe Art Museum offered weekly Mindful Looking sessions, inviting audiences to slow down, be present, and enjoy a guided mindful looking exercise led by the Lowe Art Museum Education staff. View past Mindful Looking programs by clicking here.

General Resources

  • University of Miami Master of Arts in Medical Humanities and Bioethics: The Master of Arts in Medical Humanities and Bioethics is an interdisciplinary graduate program designed to educate medical personnel on the legal, historical, ethical, and cultural contexts of medicine. Medical Humanities uses the perspectives and tools of humanities disciplines to study the human contexts of healthcare. Graduates of this unique degree program obtain a multidisciplinary understanding of medicine that can robustly influence their ethical decision making and patient care.
  • Health Humanities Consortium Syllabus Repository: This site is comprised of curriculum materials from academic, professional development, and public education programs in the health humanities. The repository is a resource for health humanities educators to share specific ideas and models for course topics, readings, assignments, teaching methods, student and professional development learning outcomes, and public engagement.
  • RX/Museum Art & Reflection in Medicine: Developed by a consortium of educators and physicians at Penn Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania, and leading museums and arts institutions across Philadelphia, the RX/Museum features a curated series of artworks and reflections that discuss the intersection between museums and medicine.
  • Mind, body, spirit: How museums impact health and wellbeing: By Jocelyn Dodd & Ceri Jones. Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG), School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester, ISBN 978-1-898489-49-8. June 2014
  • From the Galleries to the Clinic: Applying Art Museum Lessons to Patient Care: By Alexa Miller, Michelle Grohe, Shahram Khoshbin, Joel T Katz. Journal of Medical Humanities. 4(4):433-8. doi: 10.1007/s10912-013-9250-8. December 2013
  • "Is There a Doctor in the Exhibition?": By Karen Jones. New York Times, 2014

 

The following resources have been collected from participants in the field by the University of Texas (2020):

  • Bibliography: Sources of research articles, studies, and books relating to the field.
  • Program Descriptions: List of more than 125 art museum and medical school-partnered programs.
  • Sample Course Syllabi: Selection of course syllabi from art museum and medical school courses.

 

For more information about art, health, and well-being initiatives at the Lowe, please contact educationlowe@miami.edu