The healing power of art for the children of the FAR Children’s Center in Yerevan:

The FAR Children’s Center in Yerevan serves vulnerable children seeking shelter, outreach services including counseling, and skills training. Changing Landscapes offers at-risk children an opportunity to spend time outdoors on day trips to parks and nature sites, and to slow down and experience the beauty and calming effects that such settings can have. While on these outings they will learn camera skills and experiment with how best to find and express their vision and creativity. The creative process they will experience helps to develop self-awareness and insight and reduce stress.

Their best photos will be printed, framed and exhibited in local hospitals. Seeing their art hung publically will not only help boost their self-esteem, it will also directly tie these youth to their community. The children will have a sense of accomplishment as they see their work carried through to completion, building their sense of self-efficacy.(1)

In addition, Armenian children at the FAR Children’s Center who are interested in exploring their creative voice will have the tools they need to experiment with learning how to take photographs.

Healing nature photography for Armenian hospitals:

Nature photography for healthcare is a subgenre of art as therapy. There is a body of evidence showing a link between images of nature having a healing effect on the body(2). One study showed patients in an environment surrounded by nature imagery took less pain medication and left the hospital one day earlier than average(3). t is simple to realize why—images of nature connect to and heal the soul, which in turn heals the body. Research suggests nature art photography can lower blood pressure and boost feelings of hope and calm.

In addition, the photos offer an opportunity for the patients and caregivers to reflect and transcend their immediate surroundings. There is a growing sensitivity in healthcare design as to how the environment and character of a facility impacts its population of patients and caregivers. More information on nature photography in hospitals throughout the world can be found in the links below.

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_therapy#Definitions

(2) http://healingphotoart.org/about-us/scientific-evidence/

(3) http://www.henrydomke.com/index.php?module=menu&pId=101&page_name=healthcareArt

Additional links:

http://henrydomke.com/blog/

https://www.healthdesign.org/

http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/article/designing-access-naturehealthcare