How art heals.

Art has been incorporated into healing environments at least since church-affiliated hospitals displayed Renaissance paintings in their wards during medieval times. And while the practice is more secular now, the goal remains the same: to help people get well. It’s been proven that viewing both abstract and figurative art in a healthcare setting has measurable positive effects, including:

• Decreased patient anxiety and depression¹

• A reduction in pain due to positive distraction²

• An enhanced sense of comfort and safety³

• Serving as a prompt for social engagement⁴

Clearly, as one hospital’s art curator put it, “art is good medicine.” And patients aren’t the only beneficiaries; in one hospital study, over 90% of clinicians and nurses said the art in their clinic contributed to a very positive working environment.⁵

ArtGivers is dedicated to making this powerful therapeutic phenomenon available to people in facilities that lack the funding of traditional hospitals – like free and charitable medical clinics, shelters, and nonprofit drug rehab centers.

As a country, we are constantly struggling to create equal access to care. ArtGivers believes that goal should encompass every form of care, including the soul- and spirit-nurturing power of art.

Photo above: Healing Transitions, Raleigh, NC