An art therapy study of visitor reactions to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Abstract

This paper describes a collaborative research partnership between museum educators and art therapists. Twenty-two visitors at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group based on an art therapy informed protocol. All participants visited the first two floors of the permanent exhibition, Nazi Assault (opening floor) and The ‘Final Solution’ (middle floor). Those in the experimental group created art based on their emotional response to the exhibition contents, engaged in reflective writing and participated in a discussion group. Participants indicated that this process allowed for consolidation and understanding, catharsis, and relational sharing and learning. The experimental group experienced significant increases in immediate empathy and their emotional response was sustained at 2, 7, and 12 months. Experimental group participants were also more likely to share with family and friends complex reflections about different aspects of their museum visit, rather than solely their distress or historical information. There was no change in the levels of these visitors' engagement in social action and political activities. The findings suggest an innovative and effective approach to increasing empathy among museum visitors and to sustaining the impact of a museum visit.