Orlando Museum of ArtLeveraging Art Bridges Support to Develop and Evaluate an Art and Wellness Program

The Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) borrowed Bill Viola’s Moving Stillness: Mount Rainier, 1979 from the Art Bridges collection to launch a new exhibition series of time-based media video works, which had been largely underrepresented in the museum’s exhibition history. OMA also leveraged Art Bridges Learning & Engagement funding to create Reflections, a first-of-its-kind program that paired healing workshops with the Viola artwork in a non-clinical setting. Reflections served individuals with cancer, and helped them develop self-awareness, learn coping strategies, and practice therapeutic techniques alongside fellow survivors. Throughout the project’s development, the Art Bridges Evaluation team collaborated with OMA program staff to measure the impact of the program and outcomes for participants. 

Bill Viola’s Moving Stillness: Mount Rainer, 1979 immerses visitors in a symphony of nature sounds while a placid pool reflects the majestic image of Mount Rainer onto a screen. This tranquility is temporarily interrupted as the pool is periodically disturbed, causing the image to dissolve and slowly reappear. Viola’s work invites contemplation, encouraging viewers to pause as they wait to see the reconstructed image. 

Taking inspiration from the serene nature of the artwork and responding to the lack of mental health services, resources, and holistic treatment options available in Central Florida, OMA staff wanted to build on the success of its prior health and wellness initiatives. These previous programs were designed specifically for breast cancer survivors while their new Reflections program was intended to offer healing opportunities to all cancer survivors. Reflections was a series of four, 90-minute workshops hosted on Saturday mornings from January to May 2024, in the serene gallery featuring Moving Stillness: Mount Rainer, 1979. Session activities included facilitated discussions about the artwork, sound healing, breath work, gentle movement, and reflective writing. The program was free for participants, ensuring that respite, support, and healing were made accessible without placing a financial burden.

As this project was being developed, the Art Bridges Evaluation team and OMA staff met and communicated over the course of two months to decide program goals, metrics, and assessment tools. This was an iterative process where Art Bridges Evaluation staff and OMA collaboratively designed the research method. Over the course of these meetings, OMA staff expressed how helpful they found working with Art Bridges, saying “I can’t thank you enough for all your outstanding expertise and help. Many, many thanks! I look forward to working with you again on future collaborations.”

The measurable goals were for at least 90% of participants to strongly agree/agree that the program allowed them to:

• Gain new knowledge about art
• Develop new skills on how to reduce stress
• Perceive a mental and emotional benefit from engaging in the program
• Feel a greater sense of empathy for and support from others whose experiences are similar to their own
• Objectively reflect upon their cancer journeys and be more effective expressing their thoughts through discussions and journaling
• Feel a greater sense of connection to oneself, others, and the museum

Pre- and post-session surveys were selected as the best tool to evaluate a program like this because they made it possible to measure how each session affected participants’ mental and emotional states while tracking the overall effects of the program. At the end of every workshop, attendees shared their thoughts about the program, including what they liked and what they would change. Before and after every session, they also completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), a validated 20 item self-report assessment that measures state and trait anxiety, which was used to track whether participants’ levels of anxiety were changing over time as a product of the Reflections workshops. 

While OMA employees collected data, the Art Bridges Evaluation team managed data entry, analysis, and reporting, easing the burden on the OMA as a small museum with no staff evaluators. Throughout the program, Art Bridges staff had monthly check ins with OMA employees about how the workshops were going, offering suggestions for making the data collection process easier.

Each of the goal metrics were tied to Likert scale questions on the surveys, so the Art Bridges Evaluation team calculated what percentage of participants agreed or strongly agreed with these statements over the course of the program. The STAI data were computed as per the guidelines attached to the STAI instrument, summing the total score as a product of the regular and reverse scored items. These STAI data were then compared pre and post to see changes in participants stress and anxiety levels across time. The Evaluation team also looked through participants’ open-ended responses to identify themes and patterns in what they liked and what they would change about Reflections.

Art Bridges organized all this quantitative and qualitative data into charts, supporting quotes, and explanatory copy in a PowerPoint presentation that clearly outlined the key takeaways and how the goal metrics aligned with the actual metrics. OMA staff said they were “very impressed by the organization and analysis of the information... it was easy to read and understand...You seemed to capture all the essential data and present it in such a professional presentation."

Attendees repeatedly mentioned the unique opportunity to connect with others who had been diagnosed with cancer and were eager to deepen these relationships outside of the program. Reflections encouraged them to develop empathy with others who had similar experiences, which enhanced the mental and emotional benefit of the program. Attendees also developed new skills and techniques for managing their stress and after each session. Their anxiety scores (as measured by the STAI) decreased. These insights will inform OMA’s future projects as it continues to develop impactful art and wellness programs.

We love that the Orlando Museum of Art was able to leverage strategic support from the Art Bridges Evaluation team to learn more about the impact of their Learning & Engagement programs and continue to champion the connections between art and wellness.

For more information about this project, please see this report or contact Brittany Vernon, Director of Learning & Engagement and Evaluation, at [email protected].