The Curative Power of Art
Edward Goldman
The quote below is from Edward Goldman, KCRW's "Art Talk" host: (with links to the New York Times article and the Guggenheim site.)
"And now back to my favorite subject: the curative power of art. A few months ago I cited the study of a few hundred people--ages 65 and older--that found that art "boosted the immune system and decreased loneliness." Another study suggested that looking at art improved the observational abilities of medical students therefore preparing them to be better doctors. Yale, Stanford and Cornell, among other schools, have added art appreciation classes to their medical curriculum. And now the latest as reported by the New York Times last Thursday. It seems that continuous exposure to art in school helped children become better students. Hundreds of New York City third graders, who participated in a Guggenheim Museum program called " Learning Through Art", scored better in six categories of literacy and critical-thinking tests than those who didn't participate in the program."