A study by the Danish art museum Trapholt conducted over the past year among 77 ordinary people suggests that art experiences have a positive effect on our well-being.
Participants were asked to analyze their lives by means of the museum’s paintings and designs. They put together paintings and chair designs of their own choice relating to their individual dreams for the future.
Museum director Karen Green explains in a press release on trapholt.dk: “Our thesis was that art can do more than tell about itself. By allowing guests to deal with the elements that they find interesting, their ability to see contexts is trained. This kind of training can potentially make us more aware and responsive to the contexts of everyday life – and thus better able to live out our full potential”.
Green emphasizes the importance of moving away from the orthodox approach that you need to learn about the artist, and instead learn to use the elements YOU see in the work. Her ambition with the project is to lift the experience of art from only being about the artist to also be about the people who look at art.
For Danish speaking visitors, read more about Trapholt’s study here.