Bassett Medical Center Residents and Fellows Participate in Arts in Health Program Workshops

Cooperstown, NY – In September and October, Internal Medicine and Transitional Year residents as well as Cardiology fellows at Bassett Medical Center participated in workshops at Fenimore Art Museum as part of Bassett’s newly reinstated Arts in Health program, which is fully funded through philanthropic donations.

Studies, including one by Yale School of Medicine, have shown that the incorporation of the arts into healthcare settings may reduce burnout, improve professionalism, enhance empathy towards colleagues and patients, and improve communication and teamwork within the workplace.

The sessions began with the group sitting quietly and studying a portrait in the museum’s collection for three to five minutes. Following the viewing period, a moderator stimulated discussion within the group, using the technique of visual thinking strategies, with prompts such as, “what do you think is going on in this painting?”, “what do you see that makes you say that?”, “does this painting evoke an emotional response?” and “what more can you see?”. These questions tend to elicit a wide variety of interpretations. Titles and curatorial interpretations of the piece were concealed to allow the viewers to develop their own observations and interpretations. They were asked to reflect on the subject’s demeanor, physical appearance, and environment. Only after all participants were able to give input was background information about the artwork revealed. The physicians were then invited to describe how their impressions of the painting might have changed, given this additional context. This exercise was repeated with two works of art in the museum.

The second part of the workshop involved a hands-on drawing activity. The group divided into pairs and simultaneously drew “portraits” of each other using a “blind-contour technique,” during which the artist looks only at the subject, not at the drawing, while using one continuous line. Typically, the results of these drawings are erratic and quite interesting, provoking conversation, laughter and enhancing a team-building environment.

“Sharp observational skills are a key component of physician education - as they are for visual artist education. When one removes preconceptions about what one is observing—whether it be patient or subject – truth can be revealed or enhanced and the patient or subject might be better understood,” said Emily Falco, Coordinator of Bassett’s Arts in Health program.

“Studies suggest that when physicians engage in exercises like the one given at Fenimore Art Museum, empathy and respect toward patients may increase and diagnostic skills may be sharpened. The program aimed to foster visual thinking strategies through art observation and nurture the physicians’ abilities to reason with evidence, interpret and revise ideas, and encourage respect for other viewpoints.”

These workshops were made possible through collaboration among Arts in Health, the Internal Medicine Humanities curriculum at Bassett Medical Center, and Fenimore Art Museum’s Education department. Drawing inspiration from other successful art-in-medicine programs throughout the country, Emily Falco worked with Laura Wetzel, docent at Fenimore Museum, to spearhead the initiative. They partnered with Kevin Gray, Manager of Arts Education at Fenimore, and Michelle Nowlan and James Dalton, M.D., co-directors of the Internal Medicine Humanities curriculum at Bassett, to facilitate the sessions.

This is just one of several initiatives within the Arts in Health program, with the overall objective being to develop programming for all people in the healthcare setting — physicians, staff, and patients alike — with activities, workshops, music, visual art, and more. The program is made possible entirely through the generosity of many compassionate donors through the Friends of Bassett.

About Bassett Healthcare Network

Bassett Healthcare Network is an integrated health system that provides care and services to people living in a 5,600 square mile region in central New York. The organization includes five corporately affiliated hospitals, over two dozen community-based health centers, more than 20 school-based health centers, two skilled nursing facilities, and other health partners in related fields. To learn more about services available throughout the Bassett Healthcare Network, visit www.bassett.org. Follow Bassett on Facebook, X (formery Twitter), and LinkedIn. Bassett Healthcare Network is an equal opportunity provider and employer.