Credits afbeelding: Credits: Scarlett Hooft Graafland - My White Knight - 2011 (Collectie Amsterdam UMC)

Living with a diagnosis of incurable cancer: for patients in palliative care, this is a harsh daily reality. How can one lead a meaningful life in a seemingly hopeless situation? This project investigates how Art-Based Learning (ABL) – an art education method for experiencing art – has the potential to influence the processes by which cancer patients in palliative care make sense of their experiences. The researchers and artists involved will investigate how ABL can be integrated into (patient) educational programmes, and explore how health and arts professionals can expand their capacity to provide care to palliative care patients.

The researchers and artists in this RAAK-PRO consortium will conduct participatory research to identify the considerations that come into play when designing an art exhibition for patients with advanced cancer. This participatory research will be translated into a guide for use in future practice and research.

The researchers will carry out an exploratory study to assess which factors hinder and facilitate patients’ process of finding meaning. The consortium will also conduct a formal analysis of patients’ experiences regarding the search for meaning, draw up a comprehensive list of conclusions and recommendations, and incorporate the findings into a new educational programme for palliative care and art education.

This project builds on previous research into contingent experiences and narrative meaning-making, and on a pilot study into the feasibility of art-based learning in palliative care. Curious about the findings of this earlier research? The results have been published in the scientific journal *Palliative Medicine*. An interview with the principal investigator, Silvia Russel, can be read on artez.nl. There you will also find a link to the publication.