Creative Arts Program Research Articles

Creative arts outreach initiatives in schools: effects on university expectations and discussions about university with important socialisers

ABSTRACT For youth in disadvantaged schools, university expectations and participation are often limited by access to social and cultural capital that support expectations. This study investigated the utility of creative arts outreach initiatives (CAI) in supporting students’ university expectations and building cultural capital in homes, schools and neighbourhoods in the southwest corridor of Perth, Western Australia. Cultural capital was operationalised as discussions about university with parents, teachers and friends as important socialisers. The CAI provided task-based programs that connected students with industry professionals and university academics to access new social and cultural capital, develop skills that satisfied learning objectives and increase navigational capacity for higher education participation. Multi-group latent growth models were estimated for university expectations across 3 time points and university discussions with important socialisers at time 3 using a propensity-score matched sample comprising 176 students aged between 11 to 18 years from eight high schools (program group = 88, control group = 88, females = 64%). Results indicated stability in levels of university expectations for program participants and increased discussions about university with parents, teachers and friends. Findings support the inclusion of people-rich, co-curricular creative arts programs such as CAI in disadvantaged schools to build social and cultural capital that supports and potentially widens higher education participation in this region.

Reflections on a Participatory Research Project: Young People of Refugee Background in an Arts-Based Program

In Australia we have been engaged in community research with different groups who have been marginalised or excluded on the basis of race or ethnicity. To date, little research has been undertaken on the role of creative arts programs for refugee background young people. This article will describe a research project exploring how arts-based interventions facilitate well-being and settlement of recently arrived young people of refugee background. Specifically, the article discusses the usefulness of participatory research in evaluating a school-based arts program where refugee-background young people had the opportunity to tell their story through multiple media such as photos, individual narratives, and embodied performance (e.g., dance). Reflections and lessons on the challenges of conducting a participatory research project are also offered.

Effects of Voluntary Wheel Running on Markers of NASH During Weight‐Loss in C57Bl/6 Mice

Non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a liver condition characterized as excess lipid accumulation (>7%) and chronic low‐grade inflammation. The pathogenesis of NASH is generalized as multi‐factorial; however, recent evidence proposed a unifocal model in which an imbalance in cholesterol homeostasis is a dominant cause and other co‐factors modify the disease progression. The imbalance in cholesterol homeostasis leads to an accumulation of hepatic cholesterol triggering an inflammatory state subsequently sensitizing the liver to the development of hepatic fibrosis. Central to preventing hepatic fibrosis is bone morphogenic protein and activin membrane bound inhibitor (BAMBI), which inhibits the fibrogenic cascade by serving as pseudoreceptor for the pro‐fibrotic protein, transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1). Weight‐loss is central to the management of NASH; however, the therapeutic benefits of exercise during weight‐loss remain unclear as it relates to treating NASH. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if voluntary wheel running (VWR) during weight‐loss improves markers of hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis versus diet alone in C57Bl/6 mice. Male C57Bl/6 mice were fed a 60% high‐fat diet (HF) for 10 wks to induce obesity. To produce weight loss, HF mice were randomly assigned to a normal diet (ND) either with (WL+VWR) or without (WL) access to running wheels for 8 wks. Age‐matched lean and obese mice were fed a ND and HF, respectively, for 18 wks. At 18 wks, the addition of VWR to weight‐loss resulted in a lower body mass (30.3±0.7 vs. 26.1±0.3 g, p<0.05) than by diet alone; however, HOMA‐IR was not different between WL and WL+VWR, but was 80.5–85.3% (p<0.05) lower than HF. In comparison to HF, WL and WL+VWR had significantly (p<0.05) lower plasma cholesterol (39.8%‐48.1%) and interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β; 46.3–71.6%) concentrations. As expected, WL and WL+VWR resulted in significantly (p<0.05) lower total hepatic lipid (78.8–81.4%) and triglyceride (62.1–77.1%) when compared to HF that was associated with reduced expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPARγ; 56.1–71.7%) and CD36 (73.8–80.7%). Interestingly, WL+VWR resulted in significantly (p<0.05) lower hepatic triglyceride (9.6±1.5 vs. 5.8±0.7 mg/mg tissue) and cholesterol (5.3±0.6 vs. 3.2±0.3 mg/mg tissue) when compared to WL. Despite weight‐loss, the toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) mediated intracellular inflammatory signaling cascade remained elevated in both WL and WL+VWR, which was comparable to the HF group. However, WL+VWR had significantly (p<0.05) lower hepatic expression of IL‐1β (65.0–66.3%) and IL‐6 (44.0–58.0%) compared to ND and WL. The lower IL‐1β and IL‐6 hepatic expression may be due in part to a 1.3‐ to 3.8‐fold (p<0.05) greater expression of BAMBI in WL and WL+VWR. In summary, despite significant improvements in circulating and hepatic markers for glucose and lipid metabolism, a transient inflammatory state remained following weight‐loss by diet alone. In contrast, the exercise‐induced increase in hepatic BAMBI and reductions in IL‐1β and IL‐6 during weight‐loss suggests a protective effect of exercise.Support or Funding InformationThis study was supported by the Seed Grants for Translational and Exploratory Projects (J.S.W.) and the Undergraduate Creative Arts and Research Program (K.E.P. and A.S.) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Care staff and the creative arts: exploring the context of involving care personnel in arts interventions.

Arts-based interventions play an important role in the care of people with dementia. Yet, creative arts are seldom implemented as a tool to enhance the care and wellbeing of people with dementia. We examined the involvement of care staff in creative arts activities in residential care. Aspects of involvement that appear to influence outcomes in people with dementia were identified and analyzed. A broad systematic literature search of MedLine, EMBASE, PsychInfo, CINAHL, ASSIA, SCOPUS, and Web of Science led to the identification of 14 papers. The studies identified through the search process were examined in terms of intervention, context, mechanism and outcome, and the relationships between these aspects. Training sessions were identified as an opportunity to educate care personnel on useful techniques that are relevant to daily care practice. Evidence from the literature suggests that creative arts programs play a significant role in the way staff and residents interact and as a result influence the care practice of staff. Under certain conditions creative arts programs, that involve and engage staff, facilitate enhanced interactions and improve care strategies, which leads to the recognition and validation of personhood in residents with dementia. These findings provide a basis for illustrating which elements of care staff involvement in creative arts programs could be implemented in residential care contexts in order to have the upmost benefit.

Implementing a new doctor of creative arts program in the Chinese year of the fire monkey

This article explores the development and implementation of a new Doctor of Creative Arts program in a regional university. The experiences of key leadership staff and Doctor of Creative Arts candidates enrolled in the foundation year of the program are contextualised within the current landscape of practice-based arts research in the higher education sector. The process was shaped by the tension between financial imperatives and the possibilities, ambiguity and ambivalence inherent in the arts. The implementation of the Doctor of Creative Arts in 2016, the Chinese Year of the Fire Monkey with its emphasis on intelligent, flexible and creative leadership, was one that offered the most relevant metaphorical framework within which the challenges were best articulated and explored. The findings revealed significant institutional awareness of the new program’s potential to facilitate innovative, creative and traditional research outputs, the importance of communicating the value of creative practice-led research for artists and the university, and leadership and support throughout planning and implementation.

Meanings of participation in a leisure arts pottery programme

ABSTRACTParticipation in creative arts programmes can have many benefits for both individuals and communities. Extant literature demonstrates that engagement in creative arts and crafts can enhance well-being, self-expression, and community involvement. Little research, however, has explored the meanings of participation in community-based leisure arts programmes in general; and there is a paucity of research investigating the meanings of participation in ceramics specifically. The purpose of this article is to explore the meaning of participation among students engaged in a community-based leisure arts pottery programme. Using a qualitative approach, we interviewed 14 pottery students to inquire into the meanings they attributed to engagement in pottery itself as well as being part of the community-based programme. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed through initial and focused coding and constant comparison. Meanings of participation in the programme included having a creative outlet; building social connections; and self-care and personal growth. Participants valued the process of creating pottery and developing their skills over the final product and appreciated the opportunity to build friendships outside of work and to be part of a community of potters. The findings support previous research regarding benefits of creative arts, provide insight into the meanings of engaging in pottery specifically, and highlight the need for recognition of the role of community arts programmes for individual’s well-being.

Older Adults and Creative Arts: Personal and Interpersonal Change

Creative aging programs are recognized as an effective way to enhance the lives of older adults. This study examines creative arts programs offered through public libraries. Focus groups captured participants’ experiences. Themes that emerged from analysis of the focus group data generally clustered into two areas: Personal Change and Interpersonal Change. Personal change captured five perspectives: Healing; Safe Place/Freedom; New/Renewed Self; Creative; Joy/Fun. Interpersonal change entailed two perspectives: Connections and how they are Seen Differently by Others. The positive experiences of older adults who have engaged in organized creative arts programs suggest the potential life-changing possibilities of these programs.

From Reluctant Online Contributor to Mentor: Facilitating Student Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Online

From Reluctant Online Contributor to Mentor: Facilitating Student Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Online

Curation on Campus: An Exhibition Curatorial Experiment for Creative Industries Students

Curation on Campus: An Exhibition Curatorial Experiment for Creative Industries Students

Evaluation of the Kts'iìhtła (“We Light the Fire”) Project: building resiliency and connections through strengths-based creative arts programming for Indigenous youth

BackgroundThe creative arts – music, film, visual arts, dance, theatre, spoken word, literature, among others – are gradually being recognised as effective health promotion tools to empower, engage and improve the health and well-being in Indigenous youth communities. Arts-based programming has also had positive impacts in promoting health, mental wellness and resiliency amongst youth. However, often times the impacts and successes of such programming are not formally reported on, as reflected by the paucity of evaluations and reports in the literature.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate a creative arts workshop for Tłįchǫ youth where youth explored critical community issues and found solutions together using the arts. We sought to identify the workshop’s areas of success and challenge. Ultimately, our goal is to develop a community-led, youth-driven model to strengthen resiliency through youth engagement in the arts in circumpolar regions.DesignUsing a mixed-methods approach, we conducted observational field notes, focus groups, questionnaires, and reflective practice to evaluate the workshop. Four youth and five facilitators participated in this process overall.ResultsYouth reported gaining confidence and new skills, both artistic and personal. Many youth found the workshop to be engaging, enjoyable and culturally relevant. Youth expressed an interest in continuing their involvement with the arts and spreading their messages through art to other youth and others in their communities.ConclusionsEngagement and participation in the arts have the potential to build resiliency, form relationships, and stimulate discussions for community change amongst youth living in the North.

Dementia supportive communities: The role of creative arts programmes

Dementia supportive communities: The role of creative arts programmes

Three perspectives on a collaborative, whole-of-program process of curriculum change: Aligning a Creative Arts program with Threshold Learning Outcomes

In this paper we reflect on a collaborative, process developed in an Australian university to support whole-of-program curriculum change. The aim of the change process is to enhance employment outcomes of Creative Arts students by aligning the curriculum with disciplinary Threshold Learning Outcomes. In this qualitative, case study the author-participants evaluate an emerging four-stage process of support for curriculum change and use reflective data from three perspectives: that of the academic developer, the head of program, and the discipline leader, to assess the usefulness of each stage and reflect about what each of us has learned. We conclude that key features of our process, such as its collaborative approach, have resulted in positive outcomes for participants. These include opportunities for situated learning, genuine ownership and deep engagement with the curriculum change process, including desired program outcomes, as well as reflective practice and a greater shared understanding.

Meeting the Public Health Challenge of Pain in Later Life: What Role Can Senior Centers Play?

Interest in nonpharmacologic approaches for managing pain continues to grow. The aim of this study was to determine the types of pain-relevant programs offered by senior centers and whether the programs varied by clients’ race/ethnicity status and center size. A telephone survey was conducted. Respondents were presented with a list of 15 programs and the option to choose “other” and asked (1) whether the activity was offered and, if so, how often; (2) if they believed the programs had value for seniors with pain; and (3) whether the classes were advertised as a means of achieving pain relief. Of 204 center staff contacted, 195 (95.6%) participated. The most common programs offered were movement-based, including exercise (by 91.8% of the centers), dance (72.3%), walking clubs (71.8%), yoga (65.6%), and Tai Chi (53.3%) classes. Creative arts programs were also frequently offered, including music (58.5%) and fine arts (47.7%). Programs such as stress management (27%) and relaxation (26%) classes were less commonly offered. Most respondents identified movement-based programs as helpful for seniors with pain, but few identified creative arts classes as potentially beneficial. The programs/classes offered were infrequently advertised as a means of helping seniors manage pain and varied by clients’ race/ethnicity status and center size. Programs that have potential utility for older adults with pain are commonly offered by senior centers. Future research should determine optimal strategies for engaging older adults in these programs in the senior center setting.

Work integrated learning / professional practice in creative arts programs

This article reports on a project which aimed to re-think, re-leverage and re-imagine the power of industry/education/sector partnerships in the creative arts in Australia. A selection of case studies were collected and analysed to examine the role industry and community engagement plays increative learning and professional practice pedagogy. As one of three key projects exploring pedagogical approaches in the creative arts under the createED umbrella undertaken in 2011, this project also focussed on exploring tertiary-level work integrated learning (WIL) and professional practice in light of the new national creative and performing arts discipline standards. The result was a national benchmarking of best practice; an exploration of the role of the national discipline standards in evaluating the contribution of WIL, and a set of recommendations articulating how to successfully develop effective professional practice and industry partnership within a creative arts curriculum. Our findings were generally consistent with those of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council National Scoping Study: The Work Integrated Learning / WIL Report (Patrick et al. 2008) and extended upon that significant study through our primary focus upon the creative arts.

Women's experiences of attending a creative arts program during their pregnancy

This small qualitative study aimed to explore pregnant women's experiences of participating in a pregnancy program designed around the use of creative activities. Increasingly childbirth, in resource rich countries, is considered a medical event with limited attention paid to the emotional aspects of pregnancy. However, the use of the creative arts to promote physical and emotional health and well-being has also gained increasing acknowledgement and recognition. Based on this latter literature, a program of activities including singing, dancing, storytelling and weaving was developed for pregnant women. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed. Seven pregnant women participated in six 2-h creative activity sessions. Data were collected using diaries, interviews, field notes and a brief questionnaire. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Four themes, labelled 'Seeking support', 'Connecting with each other, myself and the baby', 'Finding a place to share, learn and grow,' and 'Finding balance' were identified. The findings suggest that participating in the program afforded women social support, a sense of connection with each other and enhanced perceptions of emotional well-being during pregnancy. The findings provide preliminary evidence that engaging in creative activities during pregnancy may enhance women's sense of emotional well-being. In addition, the findings confirm the growing body of literature that suggests that when childbearing women come together in a supportive sharing environment an opportunity is created whereby women learn or regain their cultural knowledge about birth and feel confident to make the decisions that best meet their own individual needs and preferences. Although the creative activities program was not designed to prepare women for birth it facilitated the sharing of information which appeared to increase the women's confidence and sense of competence to give birth and transition into motherhood. While the number of women attending the program was small, the positive experiences expressed by participants warrant further development, implementation and investigation of similar approaches to childbirth preparation. Based on this study, it would seem that such a program is indeed feasible and that women would attend.

A non-randomized comparison of mindfulness-based stress reduction and healing arts programs for facilitating post-traumatic growth and spirituality in cancer outpatients

The aim of this study was to compare a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program and a healing through the creative arts (HA) program on measures of post-traumatic growth (PTGI-R), spirituality (FACIT-Sp), stress (SOSI), and mood disturbance (POMS) in cancer patients. A sample of cancer outpatients (MBSR, n = 60; HA, n = 44) with a variety of diagnoses chose to attend either an 8-week MBSR program or a 6-week HA program and were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The majority of participants were female, married, and had breast cancer. Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that participants in both groups improved significantly over time on overall post-traumatic growth (p = 0.015). Participants in the MBSR group improved on measures of spirituality more than those in the HA group (p = 0.029). Participants in the MBSR group also showed more improvement than those in HA on measures of anxiety (POMS, p = 0.038), anger (POMS, p = 0.004), overall stress symptoms (SOSI, p = 0.041), and mood disturbance (POMS, p = 0.023). Several main effects of time were also observed in both groups. These results were found despite attrition in both groups. Both programs may improve facilitation of positive growth after traumatic life experiences for those who choose to participate. MBSR may be more helpful than HA in enhancing spirituality and reducing stress, depression, and anger.

Essay: Development of children's creativity to foster peace

Peace-making as merely a subdiscipline of statecraft has little value when any small group can cause unimaginable destruction, and violence becomes a socially accepted response to perceived threats. For a global culture of peace to be built, the next generation must be imbued with new systems of thinking and feeling. Such approaches are the domain of cognitive science, translated through practice into perceptual and behavioural change. This essay describes an art-based programme to develop creativity and empathy in young people living in a confl ict zone. Research suggests that creativity can be nurtured by a holistic approach to child development encompassing cognitive, physical, and emotional capacity. Heilman and colleagues wrote that “although extensive knowledge and divergent thinking are critical for creativity, they alone are insuffi cient for allowing a person to fi nd the thread that unites. Finding this thread might require the building of diff erent forms of knowledge ... through coactivation and communication between regions of the brain that ordinarily are not strongly connected.” The arts can aid a child’s holistic development, especially empathy, which is defi ned as the ability to identify and express one’s own emotions and to read another’s emotions correctly and comprehensively. A RAND study noted that the communicative and personal nature of creative expression, accentuated through collective arts activities, can forge social bonds while supporting identity formation and cultural transmission. The power of the group transcends the sum of individual eff orts. A working hypothesis is that the arts stimulate a problem-fi nding attitude that can be used in non-arts areas, including confl ict resolution. David Perkins of Harvard Project Zero has argued that the arts provide a sensory anchor, are instantly accessible, and engage and sustain attention, thereby encouraging rich connections. Such beliefs are supported by testimonials from children who have taken part in creative arts programmes developed by the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF): creativity “leads us to innovation”; “lets me express what I think and feel in diff erent ways”; and “decorates the artwork with a sense of uniqueness”. ICAF has developed methods to nurture the innate creativity and intrinsic empathy of children and young people. With nearly a decade’s experience, ICAF programmes initiate a developmental and sequential process of healing, creativity, communication, empathy, and cooperation. This progression is illustrated in the Peace through Arts approach, developed after the attacks in the USA on Sept 11, 2001. The initiative was spurred on by the spontaneous artistic expressions of sadness and support from children in the USA and around the world who sent ICAF their unsolicited works. The approach aims to diminish the transgenerational transmission of trauma and hatred, and draws on the creativity and imagination of young people in teaching them the ethics of responsibility and mutual respect. It fi rst helps children to recognise their responses to trauma, then to understand the reasons for confl ict and how artistic expression can reduce tensions. Subsequent modules impart confi dence and develop empathy through the experience of collective creativity and provide action steps for children to apply their creativity toward building a vision of peace in their communities. The Cypriot Peace through Art project is a good example. The 3-week programme in Washington DC involved ten Greek-Cypriot and ten Turkish-Cypriot children, then aged 14–15 years, who had grown up on opposite sides of the “green line” that partitions Cyprus. Participants were selected on the basis of an art competition organised by the Cyprus Fulbright Commission. Before going to Washington, each participant constructed a poster board titled “Myself”, describing his or her home and family, hobbies, pets, and favourite things to do. At the fi rst meeting, the poster boards served to overcome the teenagers’ natural hesitation in introducing themselves. They continued to explore issues of self-identity and “the other” in their fi rst activity, which was to produce artistic impressions. For Ashfaq Ishaq is Executive Director of the International Child Art Foundation, which uses the arts to enable children to lead us to a better and safer world by developing their innate creativity and intrinsic empathy.

Treatment of the Whole Person

This article is about healing in the context of the oncology hospital setting. It suggests the benefits of collaborative medicine and its enhancement through music therapy. An empowerment perspective guides its emphasis on the necessity of meeting the psychosocial needs of patients, encouraging participation in treatment, and facilitating a psychologically positive hospital experience through the application of music. A review of the literature and an outline of the specific physical and psychological benefits of music in oncology treatment are provided. The authors argue that psychological symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, which are commonly experienced by long-term hospital patients, can be prevented when oncology care teams follow a philosophy of healing the whole person rather than merely treating an illness. They suggest that researchers and care teams further explore the development of creative arts programs in hospital settings.

Healing in Motion

Alternative and Complementary TherapiesVol. 6, No. 2 Healing in MotionDance Therapy Meets Diverse NeedsSala HorowitzSala HorowitzSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:19 Mar 2009https://doi.org/10.1089/act.2000.6.72AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byConscious dance: Perceived benefits and psychological well-being of participantsComplementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, Vol. 44Tanztherapie in der KrebsbehandlungZeitschrift für Sportpsychologie, Vol. 24, No. 2Women's experiences of attending a creative arts program during their pregnancyWomen and Birth, Vol. 24, No. 3 Volume 6Issue 2Apr 2000 To cite this article:Sala Horowitz.Healing in Motion.Alternative and Complementary Therapies.Apr 2000.72-76.http://doi.org/10.1089/act.2000.6.72Published in Volume: 6 Issue 2: March 19, 2009PDF download

A creative arts program in social skills training for early adolescents: An exploratory study

The following is a description of a secondary prevention program based on creative arts conducted from September 1987 to June 1988 at a local, rural senior public school (junior high). The program was a short-term intervention in social skills training for early adolescent students identified by school staff as delayed in social-emotional development. The intention was, from a community mental health perspective (Wager, 1987), to prevent further delay and possible mental health referrals by intervening at an early stage directly in the school, hence, the term secondary prevention; primary prevention refers to interventions directed at large groups before problems develop (Caplan , 1964). The intervention was derived from previous clinical and educational ones reported elsewhere (Smith, Walsh, R Walsh, Richardson, & Cardey, 1986; Walsh & Swanson, 1988) in which the use of creative drama was effective in improving the social-emotional development, particularly the peer skills, of referred children and youth. The premise of the intervention was that a similar small-group experience in the creative arts would enable referred students to cope better with their developmental stresses, inasmuch as participation in artistic activities is inherently therapeutic (Kivnick & Erickson, 1983). The drama therapy literature, for example, shows that guided regression in groups facilitates emotional growth and inner resources (Landy, 1986) and strengthens interpersonal competencies , such as cooperating, listening, solving conflicts, and understanding others’ feelings (Walsh & Swanson, 1988). Early adolescence is a crucial developmental milestone particularly with respect to peer relations and friendships (Sullivan, 1953). Clinical research, in fact, indicates that poor peer relations during this stage are predictive of mental health problems in later adolescence and adulthood (Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1981). Boys as well as girls have an intense desire to be accepted and valued by their peers, for which the skills of cooperation and compromise are the barest essentials (Buhrmester & Furman, 1986). Shifting from elementary to junior high school presents additional interpersonal, organizational, and academic pressures (Hirsch & Rapkin, 1987), especially for students who might have a history of conflictual peer relations whether due to avoidance or aggression. One way to meet the needs of specially identified early adolescent students for social-emotional growth is for mental health professionals and trainees to conduct creative arts support groups in schools rather than clinics to maximize the therapeutic impact (e.g., Walsh & Swanson, 1988). But from a community mental health framework the number of identified students will always far outstrip the number of interested and available professionals. An alternative approach to student needs is to employ paraprofessionals in the schools; paraprofessionals have proven to be as effective as professionals in some therapeutic functions (Berman & Norton, 1985). Just as social skills