Being Present With Art: The Impact of Mindful Engagement With Art on Awareness and Connection

Being Present With Art: The Impact of Mindful Engagement With Art on Awareness and Connection

The purpose of this study is to observe and measure the impact of mindfulness and art pedagogy on stress levels amongst students.

This study uses a waitlist control design. Participants will be randomly assigned to either session one or session two.

Regardless if they are registered for Session One or Session Two, each participant will be invited to self-report their stress levels, feelings of being aware of the present moment, and feelings of connection and belonging on a weekly basis. There will be a follow-up survey at the end of Session One and Session Two to compare changes between participants who have already received the intervention and those who have not. In this way, Session One participants act as a control group. This follow-up survey will be utilized once again after Session Two finishes in order to examine whether there is a lasting impact on Session One participants.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Yale student
• 18 years of age or older
• Must complete all survey measures
• Must be available Mondays 5-6 pm EST in October and November

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not a Yale student
• Not 18 years of age or older
• Does not complete all survey measures
• Not available Mondays 5-6 pm EST in October and November