The art historian Tomaso Montanari in his book “If love look. A sentimental education on cultural heritage” maintains that, if we want Art to still be able to free us, to open our eyes and our hearts to an “other” dimension, which is not only perceived as the “luxury” of those few who can have the passion or – even worse – the “hobby” of beauty, someone needs to educate us about it, not only rationally, but above all sentimentally, to “allow us to bring out from our insides the humanity that we need and that we struggle to see in the world and in ourselves”.
Professionals, including – among many – art historians, mediators and cultural educators have been working for years to try to set in motion and oil the gear that rotates between culture and the public.
Accomplices of this slow-moving mechanism are on the one hand the institutions themselves, in their impossibility – due to lack of funds, resources and specialized personnel – to communicate, to build a meaningful relationship with the public and to retain them. Above all, to understand and recognize people’s needs as they have changed radically, with psycho-physical well-being which has, with good reason, become an absolute priority in the lives of each of us.
Educating sentimentally about cultural heritage, taking up Montanari’s words, today also means taking mental and physical well-being into consideration in the interaction between the public and the museum. Numerous projects have been developed in this sense, both for the general public and for the most vulnerable people (I talked about it here).
But while the well-being of spectators is already receiving attention, who is looking after the well-being of those who work in museums and who are essential in mediating the relationship between audiences and culture?
It is indeed crucial to transform places of culture into spaces of well-being, from all points of view: not only the spectator must be at the center of attention, but also those who facilitate access and interpret beauty and culture. Furthermore, the importance of staff well-being is crucial in every company to create a harmonious and productive environment, and museums are no exception. A wellbeing-oriented approach can reduce costs and increase organizational effectiveness, as well as providing staff with operational tools for active involvement in the overall life of the museum.
This is one of the main aims of the ASBA (Anxiety, Stress, Brain-Friendly Museum Approach) project, which, after having dedicated itself to the well-being of the spectator, now addresses that of museum staff.
In summary, the ASBA project aims to integrate company resources with the know-how of wellness professionals and researchers, to improve individual well-being and strengthen staff motivation.
In fact, this is where the complex challenge of an intervention of this type lies: ensuring that the Museum staff who are accustomed to the beauty of the place, since they frequent it every day, are able to rediscover it and look at it with new eyes. Because, after all, a correct and effective sentimental education about cultural heritage passes right there, from those processes that seem like paradoxes: rediscovering the external landscape that surrounds us, making our internal landscape flourish again and “taking care” of those who educate us about beauty .
The first results
At the MAO (Museum of Oriental Art) in Turin, therefore, on Thursday 16 May the preliminary results of an experimental study conducted by Annalisa Banzi of CESPEB and an inter- and multidisciplinary research team from the Universities of Milan and Milan-Italy were presented. Bicocca, in collaboration with the MAO staff.
During the study, MAO staff experimented with methodologies such as MindfulnessArt therapy, Chair Yoga And Nature+Artto rediscover the collections with a new perspective and stimulate positive emotions, using the therapeutic properties of cultural spaces and to create a welcoming and stimulating environment.
The study, conducted over a four-month period, followed a longitudinal research design, with repeated measurements before and after each session. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected, using both questionnaires and group discussions (focus group).
Initial analyzes revealed that all the techniques used had a positive effect on the participants’ state anxiety. However, the benefits vary depending on the technique. The practice of Mindfulness, for example, had a lower impact than expected. On the contrary, Yoga proved to be extremely effective and highly appreciated by participants. Art Therapy also achieved excellent results, probably because the participants are familiar with this technique, which is similar to the one routinely used within their museum activities.
From a qualitative point of view, notable improvements were observed in the participants’ ability to reflect and meta-reflect on their lived experiences. Furthermore, significant progress emerged in the constructive sharing of these experiences within the working group.
