Exhibition Showcases Art Created from Social Prescription with the Elderly

How can art promote happiness and connection between seniors receiving care and caregivers? Associate Professor Hui-Wen Lin recently led a project researching this. Co-authored with Professor Ming-Chyi Pai, Chair of the NCKU Institute of Gerontology, the full title of the published study was “Research on the Strategic Participatory Practice of Participatory Museum for Creative Aging as Force Drives from Social Prescription”. For the project, Professor Lin led local seniors and their caregivers to create their own works in response to abstract art. The exhibition they responded to was “Stroke of Half-Dry－the Voice of Calligraphy”, held at MUMU Gallery.

Creating in a gallery among other art pieces is a unique experience that most of the elders never get to experience. To ensure social ‘art prescription’, ICID students joined the elderly for intergenerational exchange. As such, a four-way support relationship was established: seniors, caregivers, art guide, and students.

After a three-week journey of art co-creation, the final works were exhibited from September 21–24 at MUMU Gallery. The joint exhibition showcased the seniors’ creative abilities and their attitudes towards life. This project shows how art galleries can become friendly and inclusive spaces. It also demonstrates how art creation can be a gentle way for seniors to liberate their minds.