The Role of Mindfulness in Viewing and Making Art In Children and Adults.

Objectives. Mindfulness training has been shown to have robust attentional and cognitivebenefits. However, little is known about its effects on viewing and making art. Here, we exploredthe effects of mindfulness-based manipulation in art viewing and art making in two studies.Methods. In Study 1, elementary school children (N = 59) participated in an art tour of theKidspace gallery at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), andviewed and made artworks either with or without mindfulness manipulation. In Study 2university students (N = 193) were randomly assigned to either the mindfulness or the controlcondition, and also viewed and made artworks. Results. In Study 1, elementary students whoreceived mindfulness induction (vs. control) reported larger difference in excitement levelsbetween the previously seen versus new artworks, expressing more excitement about the old vs.new artworks. Further, the artworks created by children in the mindfulness (vs. control)condition were rated by independent judges as more creative and more complex. In Study 2,university students who received the mindfulness (vs. control) induction reported better memoryfor previously seen vs. new artworks. Their own artworks were rated by independent judges asmore creative, abstract, and expressive compared to the participants in the control condition.Conclusions. Together, results suggest that mindfulness-based practices may result in a deeperart viewing experience, and in personal art that is more creative and expressive in both childrenand adults.