Just as the interest in wellbeing is growing, so attention has turned to a particular practice with apparent health benefits – mindfulness.
Akin to meditation, this technique can improve users’ ability to function, mitigating the factors that affect wellbeing, among them mental, physical, social, emotional and economic factors.
Manchester Art Gallery has made mindfulness an integral part of its activities. For that past four years it has run programmes helping visitors reflect on their mental health.
In 2017, inspired by the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art’s Useful Museum concept and the work of the Happy Museum Project, the gallery’s health and wellbeing manager, Louise Thompson, came up with a new moniker: the Mindful Museum.
Mindfulness, she explains, is a secular style of meditation used as mental training that allows people to become more aware of their minds and bodies. An introduction on the gallery’s website quotes one of the practice’s key founders, American professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, who defines mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way in the present moment, non-judgementally”.
As people focus on a particular are, such as their breathing, their mind wanders, often to worrying topics or areas of tension in the body.
“Non-judgementally” means the practitioner does so with a gentle, non-critical outlook.
“The attitude with which you practice it is just as important as the act itself,” Thompson says. “Everyone would benefit from mindfulness. You don’t have to be clinically unwell. It helps people maintain good mental health.”
She believes the practice can help audiences and museum staff deal with today’s increased stress levels. Research from the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, which is part of Oxford University, even suggests it can help reduce incidences of depression in people who have previously suffered from the condition.
Thompson says that looking across the Manchester Art Gallery’s mindfulness programmes, she sees the practice as a “preventative measure”.
These activities include a public programme of free drop-in sessions, including lunchtime slots that focus on particular artworks or creative drawing workshops, and private initiatives run in partnership with schools and local mental health organisations.
As a by-product, Thompson has found through feedback that mindfulness helps visitors appreciate exhibits better, developing strong senses of appreciation for works by looking mindfully and without talking.
“Very often our engagement with art has been focused on interpretation and learning about its history or significance,” she says. “We think we are allowing people more time to personally connect with the work, not delving straight into what’s going on in it.”
Indeed, these outcomes are informing the curation of a And Breath (until 23 October), an exhibition designed to encourage visitors to look at works mindfully.
The gallery has also run two continuing professional development days to raise awareness of mindfulness and share experiences of how it has been implemented in museums.
“Any cultural institution could be a mindful one,” Thompson says. “Our collections are so well placed to practice mindfulness because it is all about using our senses and to do that with an object is a unique experience.”
An important part of this work is partnering with experienced practitioners.
“It is really important that if you lead a session that you practice mindfulness,” Thompson says. “People can read a book on mindfulness, but unless they actually practice it, it’s not very wise to teach other people.”
Thompson is keen to hear from other organisations pursuing mindfulness. One of the few others to explore the area in depth is Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) in Wakefield, which is widely regarded as a leader in embedding wellbeing within its day-to-day work. The museum offers paid-for monthly Still Looking sessions specifically designed to instil more active appreciation of art.
Each begins with an introductory workshop with a qualified practitioner in the learning studios. The space is decorated with flowers and fairy lights to suit the mood. After the introduction, the group heads outdoors with kit that includes stool, poncho and hot water bottle, to view a particular work.
YSP’s arts and wellbeing coordinator Rachel Massey says that the success of these sessions has led to changes across the organisation, especially in its work with adults with poor mental health, older people and vulnerable families.
“People report feeling more relaxed [after attending],” Massey says. “There is a common feeling of relief when people discover that their own personal feelings and ideas are right and they can enjoy the artwork on their own terms.
“We have been able to develop a range of mindful approaches, including mindful walking, listening, and prompt cards for self-guided use. The learning from this public programme informs the work we do with more vulnerable audiences.”
Akin to meditation, this technique can improve users’ ability to function, mitigating the factors that affect wellbeing, among them mental, physical, social, emotional and economic factors.
Manchester Art Gallery has made mindfulness an integral part of its activities. For that past four years it has run programmes helping visitors reflect on their mental health.
In 2017, inspired by the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art’s Useful Museum concept and the work of the Happy Museum Project, the gallery’s health and wellbeing manager, Louise Thompson, came up with a new moniker: the Mindful Museum.
Mindfulness, she explains, is a secular style of meditation used as mental training that allows people to become more aware of their minds and bodies. An introduction on the gallery’s website quotes one of the practice’s key founders, American professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, who defines mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way in the present moment, non-judgementally”.
As people focus on a particular are, such as their breathing, their mind wanders, often to worrying topics or areas of tension in the body.
“Non-judgementally” means the practitioner does so with a gentle, non-critical outlook.
“The attitude with which you practice it is just as important as the act itself,” Thompson says. “Everyone would benefit from mindfulness. You don’t have to be clinically unwell. It helps people maintain good mental health.”
She believes the practice can help audiences and museum staff deal with today’s increased stress levels. Research from the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, which is part of Oxford University, even suggests it can help reduce incidences of depression in people who have previously suffered from the condition.
Thompson says that looking across the Manchester Art Gallery’s mindfulness programmes, she sees the practice as a “preventative measure”.
These activities include a public programme of free drop-in sessions, including lunchtime slots that focus on particular artworks or creative drawing workshops, and private initiatives run in partnership with schools and local mental health organisations.
As a by-product, Thompson has found through feedback that mindfulness helps visitors appreciate exhibits better, developing strong senses of appreciation for works by looking mindfully and without talking.
“Very often our engagement with art has been focused on interpretation and learning about its history or significance,” she says. “We think we are allowing people more time to personally connect with the work, not delving straight into what’s going on in it.”
Indeed, these outcomes are informing the curation of a And Breath (until 23 October), an exhibition designed to encourage visitors to look at works mindfully.
The gallery has also run two continuing professional development days to raise awareness of mindfulness and share experiences of how it has been implemented in museums.
“Any cultural institution could be a mindful one,” Thompson says. “Our collections are so well placed to practice mindfulness because it is all about using our senses and to do that with an object is a unique experience.”
An important part of this work is partnering with experienced practitioners.
“It is really important that if you lead a session that you practice mindfulness,” Thompson says. “People can read a book on mindfulness, but unless they actually practice it, it’s not very wise to teach other people.”
Thompson is keen to hear from other organisations pursuing mindfulness. One of the few others to explore the area in depth is Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) in Wakefield, which is widely regarded as a leader in embedding wellbeing within its day-to-day work. The museum offers paid-for monthly Still Looking sessions specifically designed to instil more active appreciation of art.
Each begins with an introductory workshop with a qualified practitioner in the learning studios. The space is decorated with flowers and fairy lights to suit the mood. After the introduction, the group heads outdoors with kit that includes stool, poncho and hot water bottle, to view a particular work.
YSP’s arts and wellbeing coordinator Rachel Massey says that the success of these sessions has led to changes across the organisation, especially in its work with adults with poor mental health, older people and vulnerable families.
“People report feeling more relaxed [after attending],” Massey says. “There is a common feeling of relief when people discover that their own personal feelings and ideas are right and they can enjoy the artwork on their own terms.
“We have been able to develop a range of mindful approaches, including mindful walking, listening, and prompt cards for self-guided use. The learning from this public programme informs the work we do with more vulnerable audiences.”
