Impact
The stories we hear from both patients and artists tell us about the value of our programs. And the impact our programs have is as diverse as the patients themselves.
For some patients, time with our artists provides a fun diversion from the stress of treatment. For others, particularly those patients with more advanced disease, a session with our artists can have a deep and meaningful impact at a critical time in their lives.
Artists have become valued members of the caregiving teams. Doctors and nurses often place orders in the chart for a "Collage artist," having witnessed the impact of these sessions on the lives of their patients. To measure the benefit in a data-driven way, we use an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved research protocol. Nurses report on validated quality of life (QOL) measurements, both before and after an artist session with a patient.
“Art and symbols run deep in us as humans, whether or not we are artists. In my experience, the things that a person needs and misses most while in the hospital tend to surface as drawing ideas ... Art has a power that is entirely human. When people make art together or for other people, we share that power in ourselves and receive it from each other."
— Amelia Young, Collage Artist
100%
of nurses reported an "appreciable difference in their patient before and after a Collage artist session”
100%
of nurses would recommend the Collage artist for their other patients
100%
of nurses would like to see more Collage programs for patients
“It has been an unbelievable privilege to serve as a Collage artist. This has repeatedly created the opportunity to hear the beauty of people's stories, and to witness the ways in which states of vulnerability can be accompanied by states of great strength.”
— Marcia Brennan, Ph.D., Collage artist, Carolyn & Fred McManis Professor of Humanities; Professor of Religion and Art History, Rice University