Zhizi Wei
Chaofang Zhong1*
Yunteng Gao- 1College of Teachers Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China
- 2Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
This article reviews the potential functions and approaches of museum education in alleviating psychological anxiety, particularly the psychological anxiety experienced by adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. We outline the main forms of museum education, highlighting how it supports the potential functions of art therapy for psychological anxiety. Thereafter, we review the representative research on museum art therapy practice for different populations to invite discussion, dialogue, and awareness of future directions for museum education and suggest gaps in the research that require further study.
1. Introduction
Museums are important informal learning environments. The traditional one-way educational role of museums is changing, driven by new museology and related participatory practice research (Dewey, 1916; Vergo, 1989; Sandell, 1998; Davallon, 1999; Marstine, 2006; Mairesse and Desvallées, 2007; Simon, 2010; McSweeney and Kavanagh, 2016). Museums are also a key asset for community well-being, contributing to local health and welfare goals and maintaining public well-being (Lackoi et al., 2016). Indeed, a paradigm shift has occurred from simply displaying rare art collections to enriching visitor engagement; museums now offer art prescription programs and “hard-to-reach” museum audiences are engaged through museum education. These programs are designed to allow participants to communicate non-verbally through art, craft, photography, or design. In curating or participating in museum exhibitions to creatively express themselves, participants’ selves are nurtured (Morse and Munro, 2018). Consequently, museums are interacting and influencing people in a richer way and asserting their role as a public service, with education at its center. Museum education can be defined as a set of values, concepts, knowledge, and practices designed to ensure visitors’ development: It is a cultural adaptation process that relies on pedagogy, development, practice, and acquiring new knowledge (Desvallées and Mairesse, 2010, p: 31).
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a global challenge to mental health. The World Health Organization (2019) warns that a lack of mental health care is a major cause of the global disease burden. One-fifth of children and adolescents worldwide have mental health problems. Their unmet psychosocial needs are exacerbated by war, adversity, discrimination, disease, and natural disasters. Surveys show an increasing trend in psychological distress among adolescents, manifesting as learning and somatic anxiety, and easily becoming sensitive and fearful (Qin et al., 2021). Such problems can seriously interfere with daily functioning (Bhosale et al., 2015; Veldman et al., 2015) and increase the risk of underperforming in school (Veldman et al., 2015). Hence, there is a greater need for psychotherapy to reduce the incidence of psychological problems (Li et al., 2020).
This mini review aims to invite discussion, dialogue, and recognition of the potential functions of museum education in therapy to expand the range of museum education services, explore the possibilities of museum involvement in art therapy through representative case studies of this practice with diverse populations, and highlight the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) museum education in providing distance therapy for adolescents. Our work in museums inspired us to better understand the literature on the use of art therapy approaches in museums.
2. Materials and methods
We screened representative literature for different populations in the Web of Science Core Collection database. Web of Science is a comprehensive multidisciplinary core journal database. Web of science database has the world’s largest and most comprehensive academic information resources, covering more than 12,000 academic journals in natural science, engineering, biomedicine, social science, art, humanities and other disciplines. This article uses the Web of Science Core Collection [Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)] database as the data source. The search formula is: [TS = ('art *' OR 'artistic *') and ('treatment *' OR 'cure *' OR 'treat *' OR 'therapy *')] and ('museum *' OR 'museums *') and ('education *' OR 'educational *'). We did not restrict the publication year; however, the source language was limited to English. The search yielded 10 representative peer-reviewed articles citing museum education and art therapy practices, including theoretical and critical perspectives (Treadon et al., 2006; Salom, 2011; Ioannides et al., 2021), ethnography, qualitative analysis, and clinical treatment cases (Colbert et al., 2013; Mangione, 2013; Bennington et al., 2016; Zarrabi et al., 2020; Armstrong et al., 2021; Price et al., 2022; Wallen and Docherty-Hughes, 2022). Specific practices for different groups are reported, covering different benefits for anxiety, traumatic memories, self-disappointment, geriatric groups, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic illness, and psychiatric patients (Table 1).
Table 1. Key findings.
3. Results
3.1. Activity approach and therapeutic function of museum education
The educational purpose of a museum influences all the activities that take place within it and determines its therapeutic function. The visit experience can lead to long-term introspective and cognitive outcomes, especially in social awareness (DeWitt and Storksdieck, 2008; Annechini et al., 2020).
During the pandemic, various populations developed psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia due to stress. Some patients experienced suicidal ideation or acute psychiatric disorders. Compared with traditional therapeutic interventions, the museum serves as a supportive place that embraces social inclusion, promotes cohesion by being open to people from all walks of life, and provides a space for reflection on ideas that combat discrimination and enhance well-being. These responsibilities demonstrate the value of museums as healing places (Ioannides, 2016; Figure 1). As Annechini et al. (2020) argue, museums have restorative effects on children’s psychology.
Figure 1. Generalized diagram of museum education and art therapy.
3.2. Potential functions of museum education
Museum practices, museum professionals, and academics have gradually expanded the concept of education in museums for learning activities in museum settings (Allard and Boucher, 1998; Hein, 2002; Leinhardt et al., 2003). Current museum education practices can be categorized into universal, heuristic, exploratory, living, physical experience, and artificial intelligence educational activities (Table 2).
Table 2. Main forms of museum educational activities.
3.3. The art therapy function of museum education
Museums have noted the usefulness of art therapy for improving mental health (Stickley and Eades, 2013) and can work with the health care or higher education sectors. Multisectoral collaboration is effective in improving participants’ mental health and well-being (Docherty-Hughes et al., 2020). However, the potential for art therapy to expand into new areas has not yet been fully recognized and its spiritual and mental health improvement effects not fully explored. There is an urgent need to strengthen the support given to museums and related cultural institutions for art therapy work, which can be widely applied to significantly help patients embarrassed about their disease or resisting treatment.
The combination of museum education and art therapy plays a vital role in improving psychological anxiety, and art therapy enables individuals to make connections between internal and external reality (Treadon et al., 2006; Shaer et al., 2008; Colbert et al., 2013; Betts et al., 2015; Salom, 2015; Ioannides, 2016; Coles and Harrison, 2018; Coles et al., 2019; Coles, 2020). This combination meets the needs of contemporary society and demonstrates the potential benefits of museums as non-traditional tools for art psychotherapy, providing help through meaningful connections and allowing individuals to “reflect on and share their past” (Salom, 2011, p: 83).
Museum educators (Froggett et al., 2011; Colbert et al., 2013) and art therapists (Treadon et al., 2006) believe that art therapy in museums has become an increasingly important endeavor, especially for mental health support (Treadon et al., 2006). The most popular types of museum programs are those designed to allow participants to express themselves creatively through art, craft, photography, design, curation, or participation in museum exhibitions (Morse, 2021). Museums help participants reflect on lived experiences, reconcile the past, and reconstruct narratives via educational and creative arts programs (Camic and Chatterjee, 2013). They provide a potential therapeutic opportunity (Salom, 2008) and a “caring” space (Morse, 2021) and offer opportunities for self-development, spiritual and artistic growth, and social connection (Roberson, 2011).
Additionally, art “can help guide, exhort, and comfort audiences to become better versions of themselves” (de Botton and Armstrong, 2013). The potential benefits of art therapy include memory, hope, grief processing, rebalancing, self-understanding, growth, and appreciation. Thus, art therapy in a museum setting may help adolescents increase their sense of belonging and support self-reflection and other psychological needs. Activation of autobiographical memories is associated with feelings of well-being (O’Rourke et al., 2011), and this function of art can be combined with the therapeutic effects of reminiscence. The process of sharing memories and praising one another supports group cohesion and improves mental health (Wadensten, 2005; Chiang et al., 2010). Thus, museum-based art therapy can potentially alleviate psychological anxiety among adolescents.
3.3.1. Mental restoration
Museum-based art therapy facilitates mental restoration by relieving physical tension and mental anxiety. Many people visit museums for relaxation and physical rejuvenation because museums can repair “attention fatigue” and provide “restorative environment” conditions (Packer, 2008). They provide a place where young people can explore, unrushed and away from their usual environment and daily routines.
3.3.2. Self-reflection
Self-reflection is an important component of mental health, including the process of identifying, thinking about, and making sense of one’s feelings, experiences, and ideas. “Adolescents naturally engage in the construction of individual meaning and self-exploration at museums by reflecting on the situations they face and engaging in discussions with others” (Wang, 2018, p:5).
3.3.3. Physical and mental balance
Museum-specific artwork can help people shift their focus from their anxieties to their bodies; they become aware of their existence, perceive the value of their being, and return to their bodies and minds. From the essence of “things,” museums reflect both the uniqueness of the times and the differences in history. From the existence of “human beings,” museums show that greatness and fragility have coexisted for generations of human beings, creating an atmosphere wherein young people can express different ideas and thoughts, and providing a “laboratory” to understand the close connection between “things” and “people.”
3.4. Approaches of art therapy practice in museums
Art can provide “a visual link to a personal exploration of past and present experiences” (Stephenson, 2006, p: 24); this is particularly important because the activation of autobiographical memory is associated with a sense of well-being (O’Rourke et al., 2011). As viewing art provides a unique psychological experience, art therapy in museums offers the opportunity to restore health and well-being, especially for patients suffering from mental health issues (Colbert et al., 2013). De Botton and Armstrong (2013) describe the function of memory in art as a way of holding on to things deemed precious and fleeting.
The three theoretical perspectives highlight the role museums play in the art therapy process and the different supports they provide to promote therapeutic goals (Treadon et al., 2006; Salom, 2011; Ioannides et al., 2021). Ioannides et al. (2021) notes that contemporary artwork can serve as therapeutic transformative objects that can evoke a stronger sense of self-identity and help restore mental health. Salom (2011) summarizes four metaphorical roles museums play in therapy: co-leader, group, self, and environment.
Treadon et al. (2006) refers to the richness of artwork and cultural resources that art therapists provide to participants through museum education, emphasizing museums’ efforts to engage non-traditional populations and the facilitative role of educators in art therapy. Similarly, Ioannides et al. (2021) emphasizes the intrinsic quality of specific artwork as an evocative element for individual participants. She outlines how participants can express their feelings, discuss difficult issues, and internalize the cultural world through contemporary artwork (works displayed in the museum as well as artwork created by participants) to understand, explore, and reveal their different aspects. This approach allows participants’ emotional experiences to be better understood, facilitating their relationship with the external world and stimulating the presence of self-states in their spiritual lives because they contain “a layer of meaningful connections that stimulate” associations. These associations enable individuals experiencing personal or mental health problems to “recall and share their past” (Salom, 2011, p: 83). Salom (2011) suggests that curators pave the way for personal expression and transformation through interactive art exhibitions (Treadon et al., 2006). Museums are interested in increasing outreach by integrating clinical and educational knowledge (Linesch, 2004).
There are also studies that focus on people with Alzheimer’s disease, chronic disease or mental illness. Wallen and Docherty-Hughes (2022) emphasize the critical role of museum education in enhancing the self-esteem and social well-being of individuals with psychological problems through “caring spaces.” They established the Self-Reflection Project’s community-based museum art therapy program, highlighting the role of museum art therapy in lifelong learning and leveraging heritage values, including overall well-being and individual identity. During the pandemic, one museum learned about the impact of trauma by exploring the framework developed by the Trauma Responsive Educational Practices (TRE) program. The authors conclude that additional support is needed to adapt the program to the museum’s unique environment. At the Rubin Museum of Art, workers began to care about the same issues, and in their Nepalese art collection, there are some content that is very suitable for self-reflection. Now, the museum is planning to restart their meditation podcasts and arrange some of the learning sessions to people affected by the new corona, which will include some meditative works of art, such as a gilded statue of the 13th-century Indian goddess Durga, and a 16th-century Buddha painting in which the Buddha is meditating while the demonic army is attacking from below. The Queens Museum in New York, the United States, offers an online art therapy program every Thursday, allowing community participants to share their creations through Zoom and use paintings and poetry to discuss life before and after the pandemic. The Metropolitan Museum of Art of the United States is also launching a free art therapy program. The museum has designed the exhibition space as a safe space with trauma awareness, using the same practices used in the aftermath of the 9 / 11 terrorist attack that year. The artwork on display tries to alleviate the anxiety or sadness of visitors in the face of the epidemic. Walter Enriquez, a 75-year-old New York resident, has lost many friends and neighbors due to the epidemic. He spends 30 min sitting in front of the computer every Thursday, drawing on paper with colored pencils and pens. Enriquez said: ‘Before taking part in the programme I felt very lonely, but now, I can study artistic creation. We can ‘t enjoy life as before, but art can help us capture the past, regain positive experiences, and get through pain and sadness. ‘Bouvayer also said that in the past, doctors rarely did not have to worry about any side effects when prescribing, and now there is such a development is very touching. In her opinion, the doctor ‘s establishment of ‘museum prescription notes ‘is a way to connect with patients on an emotional level. ‘We always ask ourselves: What else can I do? From now on, we can at least provide ‘happy moments ‘, ‘.
In addition, the role of different art therapy methods in museum education was also investigated. Armstrong et al. (2021) investigated the dynamics of trauma-informed approaches to interacting with art, specifically approaches that create new cognitive, emotional, and sensory experiences. Outlining key visitor-related trauma-informed art museum education (T-AAME) principles, they report that museum educators can play a therapeutic role in helping visitors reintegrate into their lives. The mind, brain, and education (MBE) pedagogy, constructed by Zarrabi et al. (2020) around the themes of pain, healing, dignity, complexity, and legacy, identifies four themes that reflect the value of the educational experience: (1) using art in a neutral setting as a “proxy” to safely access emotions and work through difficult situations, (2) appreciating the value of experiential immersion in clinical development, (3) discovering the power of the multidisciplinary palliative care team, and (4) shaping work-life balance. Colbert et al. (2013) assessed participants’ mental health and explored recovery-oriented approaches to mental health care through an art gallery intervention, finding that art galleries can provide a safe haven that promotes recovery, well-being, and a sense of social inclusion.
Bennington et al. (2016) examined the use of art museums as a therapeutic tool for older adults from a phenomenological perspective, demonstrating that they offer curricular explorations of emotions, thoughts, and memories, increasing well-being and social connectedness. Another study on how institutional meanings emerge at the local level, revealed how educators and participants constructed the benefits of art museum programs for people with Alzheimer’s disease, providing an opportunity for more dialogue between the sociological studies of culture and health (Mangione, 2013).
In summary, the review highlights the therapeutic potential of museum education and art therapy to improve mental health and promote recovery, well-being, and a sense of social inclusion among different populations. However, no existing research has focused on how museum-based art therapy can ameliorate psychological anxiety issues in adolescents or the challenges of working with clinical diagnostic categories of adolescents in art therapy research and clinical practice from a museum education perspective.
4. Discussion
With the increasing attention paid to Art Therapy in recent years, the Montreal Art Gallery, Canada ‘s oldest art museum, has received a large donation funding. In 2016, the museum ‘s education and art therapy functions were expanded; in 2017, it became the first museum in North America to employ full-time art therapists. In 2018, it became the first art museum to accept local doctors to open ‘museum prescription notes ‘, allowing patients to visit for free and even book art therapists in the museum. In the United States, some museums preparing to reopen are seeing art healing as their new direction. The Queens Museum of Art offers a weekly online art therapy program that encourages people to pick up a paintbrush to express their lives and feelings. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has prepared a list of works of art to help spectators ease anxiety about the new corona after the museum reopens. The Cincinnati Museum of Art in Ohio trained a group of volunteers to teach art healing techniques. These measures were inspired by the Montreal Museum of Art in Canada, which is the first art institution in North America to hire an art therapist.
By reviewing peer-reviewed literature, this paper discusses how museum practitioners can develop a program of activities to promote the potential therapeutic function of museums and integrate art therapy approaches into practice. The literature suggests that museum therapy practices are strongly associated with participants’ sense of self-identity, well-being, and social well-being, all of which can help alleviate anxiety. This review provides a preliminary understanding of the issues involved in museum education practices that require further examination, including the propensity of different museum learning programs to improve psychological problems among different groups.
4.1. New directions for museum education
VR is widely used in museums to augment or simulate artwork and artifacts to create more vivid and immersive learning environments. In the last decade, the boom in digital technology has driven many museums to publish collections online, and much related research has been undertaken by ARCO, SCULPTEUR in Europe, VMC in Canada, Sci Center and Bio Learn in the US (Corbit and De Varco, 2000), and similar programs around the world. Several museums offer online exhibitions, such as the Smithsonian Museum in the US, the State Hermitage Museum in Russia, and the Louvre Museum in France.
VR technology improves learner motivation and mood (Dieck et al., 2018; Puig et al., 2020), enhancing participant satisfaction and enjoyment, especially with wearable devices. It helps enhance learning experiences and personalize the learning process. Nechita and Rezeanu (2019) report that multisensory-enhanced museum spaces can enhance empathy by allowing learners to experience a variety of historical settings from a first-hand perspective. Teaching in interactive VR environments provides equal or better learning outcomes compared to traditional teaching (Newman and McLean, 2004; Stull et al., 2013; Nolin et al., 2016; Frydenberg and Andone, 2018; Felnhofer et al., 2018; Dube and Ince, 2019). However, the transformative effect of immersive VR in education has mainly been reported in the medical field (Thompson, 2009; Kim et al., 2015; Kim et al., 2017; Brusamento et al., 2019; Kyaw et al., 2019; Blumstein et al., 2020). As a new technology for museum educational activities, VR can create more engaging and immersive learning experiences (Crowley et al., 2014).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, psychotherapy conducted face-to-face increased the risk of infection, creating the need for remote therapy. The role of VR in museum education became increasingly important. As VR technology provides digitally enhanced visual complementarity to artwork details (Chang et al., 2014), administrators can pull 3D digital objects from a database and place them into a virtual exhibit room where participants can zoom into areas of interest. This method enables teaching and learning in a highly interactive environment that stimulates curiosity and creative thinking, allowing museums to develop unique, meaningful educational experiences (Smith and Blunkett, 2000). It also provides an atmosphere of freedom that can help participants with psychological disorders. Some studies have explored the application of VR to enhance visitor-exhibit interactions or allow visitors to generate virtual content in an immersive environment (e.g., Hsiao et al., 2016; Koutsabasis and Vosinakis, 2018). Bettelli et al. (2020) found that the novelty of VR may appeal to adolescents, capturing their attention and encouraging them to persist in their studies, resulting in more positive perceptions. However, little research has examined the integration of VR museum education and art therapy or the use of VR to provide telepsychotherapy through online museum-education activities.
4.2. Suggestions for future research
This review highlights the importance of incorporating museum education practices to enhance mental health and well-being. However, it finds a lack of research on the involvement of museum education in therapy, particularly on museum education engaged in therapeutic practice that demonstrates multifaceted possibilities of combining art therapy approaches with museum education. To better mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of diverse groups (e.g., isolation and distress), the caring role of museums is exemplified by the construction of museum VR spaces that support social interaction, engagement, stimulation, and care, providing a broader range of distance art therapy opportunities. The portability of VR technology and therapies create opportunities for museums to explore partnerships with the education and healthcare sectors to expand their collections and programs, especially for beneficiaries embarrassed about their illnesses or anxious about the treatment process. Thus, VR museum education is a new type of education, an emerging therapy, and an increasingly important research topic.
Museum education through VR teletherapy can improve quality of life and maintain or promote health. It also hints at museums’ potential role in the mental health field: even those with hearing impairments can enjoy the virtual museum experience at home. However, access to technology remains a concern, and those who may not have easy access (e.g., people from low-income communities and with disabilities) need to be considered. Therefore, interdisciplinary collaboration with art therapists and educators is an area for further exploration to understand the needs and challenges of different groups in future planning and design of museum education and ensure inclusive strategies and practices.
5. Conclusion
This paper studies the practice of art therapy in museum education. We summarize its activities, main functions and practical approaches. Finally, through critical reading, we propose new directions and research trends for future development in this field. Our research results fill the gap in the practice of art therapy in museum education. Readers can obtain exciting information from the data analysis of this study, which provides valuable reference and help for future researchers.
Author contributions
CZ contributed to the overall framework for the manuscripts as well as discussion sections. ZW contributed to the literature review and the writing of the manuscript. YG contributed to the paper revision. All authors reviewed the manuscript, contributed to the article, and approved the submitted version.
Funding
This study was supported by the Open Research Fund of the College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, grant no. jykf22046.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
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Keywords: art therapy practices, integrated art therapy, museum education, psychological anxiety, virtual reality
Citation: Wei Z, Zhong C and Gao Y (2023) Art therapy practices in museum education: A mini review. Front. Psychol. 13:1075427. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1075427
Edited by:
Luis Manuel Mota de Sousa, Universidade Atlântica, PortugalReviewed by:
Cristiana Furtado Firmino, Escola Superior de Saúde Ribeiro Sanches, PortugalCopyright © 2023 Wei, Zhong and Gao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Chaofang Zhong, ✉ sheke666@163.com