Impact on public attitudes of a mental health audio tour of the National Gallery in London

Abstract

Aim: The arts have the potential to increase public awareness about mental health and reduce stigma. However, arts-based projects to raise awareness have been smallscale. In this study, a mental health-awareness audio tour of The National Gallery in London was co-produced and narrated by young adults with relevant lived experience. The study investigated the acceptability of the tour to the public and evaluated its impact on public attitudes about mental health.Methods: Participants were Gallery visitors over four consecutive days. The tour led visitors on 10 stops through the Gallery. Each stop focused on artworks and Gallery spaces, challenged common myths about mental health, and invited visitors to consider their personal views. Participants completed measures of mood and attitudes about mental health pre-and post-tour and provided narrative feedback.Results: Pre-tour, participants (N = 213) reported high levels of happiness, compassion towards people with mental health conditions, comfort talking about mental health, and positive attitudes about mental health. Post-tour, participants (N = 111) reported significant increases in happiness, comfort, and positive attitudes. In

“Art and Psyche Festival”: Utilizing the power of art against the stigma around mental illness

“…Gallery visitors were led on ten stops through the gallery, focusing on artworks, challenging common myths about mental health, and inviting visitors to consider their personal views. The tour increased positive attitudes, indicating the feasibility of arts-based interventions in reducing stigma ( 32 ).…”

“…Turning from a national event to an international one in its second year, and doubling the number of artworks, reflects its potential to become a worldwide movement against mental health issues. This festival planned to provide an anti-stigma model coordinated with active public participation, despite some prior art festivals where participants were only visitors of the artworks ( 30 , 32 ).…”

Developing an impact framework for Science Gallery Network: Final report

“…The literature has established myriad positive health and well-being impacts from participating in arts and cultural activities (Daykin, 2020). Researchers have also shown that museum and gallery programs can improve health and well-being (Morse, 2015;Riches et al, 2022;. By way of example, in a project that responded to a need established by surveying 32 specialist museums in the UK, Thomson and Chatterjee (2015) developed a "set of 'pick and mix' measures designed to assess levels of well-being arising from participation in museum activities and events" (p. 49).…”