ARTISAN 2.0: Deconstructing the Integrative Efficacy of a Multimodal Art-based Intervention

Summary

To address perceived loneliness via citizen empowerment, ARTISAN (Aspiration and Resilience Through Intergenerational Storytelling and Art-based Narratives) was developed by the Principal Investigator in partnership with the National Arts Council and the National Museum of Singapore. A 2018 pilot study was conducted with the aim to establish ARTISAN's intervention framework, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in promoting resilience, social connectedness, wellbeing, personhood and nationhood. The current research builds on the empirical foundation of the pilot study and seeks to deconstruct the ARTISAN intervention for gaining a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms for promoting positive life changes among youth and senior participants such as reduced loneliness, enhanced resilience, psychological wellbeing, social connectedness and sense of nationhood.

Conditions

• Intergenerational Relations
• Loneliness
• Well Aging

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

ARTISAN Condition

Youth and senior participants will be randomly paired and engage in the 5-weekly, 3-hour ARTISAN intervention as dyads (totaling 15 hours of intervention). In the first four weeks of the ARTISAN, dyads will engage in themed museum tours facilitated by a docent (45min), guided storytelling (45 min) and professionally-led art-making (45 min). The remaining time (45 min) is allocated for session breaks, session introduction/closing, and buffer time for movement around the gallery. The final week involves an exhibition where participants share their artworks with the public and reflect on their experiences and artworks. The weekly session themes are as follows: Week 1: Discovering our National Heritage (Art medium: Clay); Week 2: Strengthening Social Bonds (Art medium: Acrylic Paints); Week 3: Overcoming Adversities and Resilience (Art medium: Beads); Week 4: Building Dreams and Aspirations (Art medium: Recycled Materials); Week 5: Sharing our Stories and Legacies (Community Showcase)

BEHAVIORAL

Intergenerational Participatory Arts Condition

Youths and senior participants in this condition will be randomly paired and engage in a 5-weekly 45-minute group-based art activity conducted in a community space with 15 minutes of preparation/break time (totaling 5 hours of intervention). A professional artist or art therapist will facilitate art-making sessions with the participants in a community space, utilizing the same mediums that were used in ARTISAN. The weekly session themes are as follows: Week 1: Discovering our National Heritage (Art medium: Clay); Week 2: Strengthening Social Bonds (Art medium: Acrylic Paints); Week 3: Overcoming Adversities and Resilience (Art medium: Beads); Week 4: Building Dreams and Aspirations (Art medium: Recycled Materials); Week 5: Sharing our Stories and Legacies (Community Showcase)

BEHAVIORAL

Intergenerational Art-space Condition

Youths and senior participants in this condition will engage in a 5-weekly 45-minute group-based curated museum tour that follow the ARTISAN themes with 15 minutes of preparation/break time, and conducted by a trained docent at the National Museum Singapore (totaling 5 hours of intervention).The weekly session themes are as follows: Week 1: Discovering our National Heritage; Week 2: Strengthening Social Bonds; Week 3: Overcoming Adversities and Resilience; Week 4: Building Dreams and Aspirations; Week 5: Sharing our Stories and Legacies.

BEHAVIORAL

Intergenerational Storytelling Condition

Youths and senior participants in this condition will be paired to engage in a 5-weekly 45 minute group-based storytelling activity conducted in a community space with 15 minutes of preparation/break time (totaling 5 hours of intervention). Storytelling sessions will be conducted by a trained facilitator, and conversation starters from ARTISAN intervention will be used. The weekly session themes are as follows: Week 1: Discovering our National Heritage; Week 2: Strengthening Social Bonds; Week 3: Overcoming Adversities and Resilience; Week 4: Building Dreams and Aspirations; Week 5: Sharing our Stories and Legacies.

BEHAVIORAL

Control Condition

Participants in this condition will engage in a 5-weekly 45 minute group-based physical activity session conducted in the community with 15 minutes of preparation/break time (totaling 5 hours of intervention). Physical activity was selected over basic psychosocial care to test the effects of inter-generational contact independent of arts and heritage-based engagements.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Museum of Singapore

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Nanyang Technological University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Andy HY Ho, PhD, EdD · Nanyang Technological University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

16 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-12-31

Primary Completion

2022-11-30

Completion

2022-11-30

Countries

• Singapore

Study Locations