Credits: Ruth van Beek, De Tuinscène, 2016 (Collectie Amsterdam UMC)

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Living with a diagnosis of incurable cancer is a harsh daily reality for many people in the Netherlands. How can you live a meaningful life in a seemingly hopeless situation? This project explores how Art-Based Learning (ABL) - an art-educational method of experiencing art - has the potential to influence meaning-making processes of cancer patients in palliative care. The researchers and artists involved will explore how ABL can be integrated into (patient) education programs, and explore how health and arts professionals can expand their ability to provide care to palliative care patients.

"How can you live a meaningful life in a seemingly hopeless situation?"

Our Approach

The researchers and artists in this RAAK-PRO consortium will conduct participatory research to identify the considerations involved in designing an art exhibition for patients with advanced cancer. This participatory research will be turned into a manual for use in future practice and research. The researchers will conduct an exploratory study and evaluate what factors hinder and promote patients' meaning-making process. In addition, the consortium will conduct a formal analysis of patients' experiences related to meaning-making, and formally produce a full list of conclusions and recommendations, and embed the result in a new educational program for PC and art education.

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Previous research
This project builds on previous research on contingent experiences and narrative meaning-making, and on a pilot study on the feasibility of Art-Based Learning in palliative care. Curious about the findings of this earlier research? The results were published in the scientific journal Palliative Medicine. An interview with the lead researcher Silvia Russel can be read back on artez.nl. There you will also find a link to the publication.

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