Activating the Art Museum

An excellent presentation of the ways art museums engage in innovative programs with health professionals by connecting the fields of art and medicine. Written by three renowned museum educators the publication offers keen insights into the need for thoughtful collaborations, approaches to teaching in the galleries and addresses important themes such as empathy, storytelling, nurturing wellness and more that give new insights to this important new field of interpretation.

--Bonnie Pitman, director of Art-Brain Innovations, The University of Texas Center for BrainHealth and former director of Dallas Museum of Art

Complementing their own reflections, Slavin, Williams, and Zimmermann have thoughtfully collected a compelling set of case studies, programs, and insights from art museum educators, medical practitioners, as well as healthcare and museum leadership. A must-read for anyone curious about the creative and inspiring ways to connect art with medicine, care, and healing.

--Michelle Grohe, Esther Stiles Eastman Curator of Education, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

In this timely and inclusive new work, Slavin, Williams, and Zimmerman provide a holistic look at how thoughtfully designed art museum experiences are fostering well-being, empathy, and humanity among healthcare professionals, patients and museum practitioners. The creative and affirming personal narratives and practical applications in each chapter illustrate the value of art museums at a time when their innovative thinking and resources are needed more than ever.

--Brenda Cowan, professor exhibition and experience design, SUNY FIT

The authors of Activating the Art Museum generously share their first-hand experiences and collective knowledge, providing an invaluable resource to the field of art and medicine. Bringing together museum-based activities and the research that supports them into a single source for the community is an exciting contribution to this growing discipline.

--Brooke DiGiovanni Evans, director of Visual Arts Education, Brigham & Women's Hospital, lecturer, Harvard Medical School

Weaving together powerful storytelling with clearly-described activities, this inspiring book explores how art-museum-based experiences can profoundly support the development and well-being of today's health professionals. Indeed, the book will be compelling to anyone interested in activating the power of art to spark meaningful conversation, develop human connection, and build caring and equitable professional communities.

--Shari Tishman, senior research associate, Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education