Introduction

There is a reason parents say to their children from a young age, “don’t send me to a nursing home.” They are drab, lifeless, and can seriously take a strain on someone’s mental wellbeing. I plan to fix this by creating art pieces featuring bright colors and bold imagery produced to evoke feelings of joy and backed by scientific color theory and donating them to local nursing homes and clinical spaces. Through which, I will be able to determine how color and imagery influence the mental wellbeing of patients confined to clinical spaces with the intended goal of reducing feelings of isolation and hopelessness.

Literature Review

• Artistic Influence – As a public health major with a deep passion and interest in healthcare, I have spent my fair share of time in clinical spaces and nursing homes. All vary in design but there a common denominator that aesthetic is not high on their priority list. And while this makes sense at a glance, environment and visuals that a patient sees daily can have a very serious effect on them, especially when considering many of them miss their own homes and decor. Art in general has a long and winding history of lending inspiration from one another. Projects similar to mine have been done before by artists such as Keith Harring, Jeff Koons, and Derrick Adams who all crafted instillations for hospitals to boost morale and raise awareness. I took inspiration from these artists in practice, making art to be able to be donated and bring positivity to these medical spaces. As for artistic inspiration itself, I took inspiration from the abstract movement, Vincent Van Gogh, and mainly, Mundo Avant-Garde (an art brand by artist Drucila Mundo Ferrer who specializes in unique abstract, graffiti, and pop-art style paintings and prints.)

• Scholarly Influence – Although I had creative liberty with my art, I needed the details to be determined by science to maximize the positive effect they would have on patients. I read many articles on color. There was a neurological study into how natural themed imagery including softer, warmer colors and depictions of wildlife can reduce stress, pain, and anxiety all while improving mood and well-being that I used. (Cardillo and Chatterjee) I also read about how a nursing home alters the patients sense of identity and design and visual aesthetic of medical spaces function as influence patient experience and alter the culture of care. (Evans et al.)

Methods

These articles were the methods I used to layout my project in the planning stages. The articles all concluded that in my paintings, I should use yellows for feelings of brightness, purple for rejuvenation, blue for calm, etc. (Cardillo and Chatterjee) I also used previous research from my experiences in similar nursing homes and the visuals I saw daily. Lots of brown upholstery, grey and tan tiled floors, pale blue walls or curtains. No color, nothing extra, and a sense that their only concern was physical health with little to no attention to mental. As a result, my artwork will feature bright colors, bold shapes, and intentional design choices for improving mental well-being. 

Audience & Impact

My audience will be residents of a local nursing home. This is a cause very dear to me and touches on two of my passions; art and healthcare. This project is for and about them, to show them someone cares, they are no isolated or alone, and that they have not lost their sense of self. I have learned that many large healthcare corporations have lost touch with people on the human level. Their decisions are based on collecting money from families and they act as a holding space for individuals who can no longer care for themselves. The personability of the home is left by the wayside which is why I chose this project. Making art as a student, a healthcare worker, and a person has really encapsulated my experience as an Arts Scholar. 

References

Cardillo, E. R., and Anjan Chatterjee. “Benefits of Nature Imagery and Visual Art in Healthcare Contexts: A View from Empirical Aesthetics.” Buildings, vol. 15, 2025, p. 1027. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15071027.

Evans, James D., et al. “Theoretical Injections: On the Therapeutic Aesthetics of Medical Spaces.” Social Science & Medicine, vol. 69, no. 5, 2009, pp. 716–721.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Harold, Irene, the Arts Scholars Program, and to Althea Nursing Home of Silver Spring for their help and compliance with my project.