The ASBA Project: When the Museum Becomes a Space of Care
I am part of the research team at the University of Milano-Bicocca studying the museum as an ally against anxiety and stress. As the project's art therapist, I lead sessions at the GAM, the Natural History Museum in Milan and the MAO in Turin. The research has involved over 350 participants and has demonstrated that art therapy in the museum generates the most intense emotional experiences among all the methodologies tested.
The Museum as a Space of Care
The ASBA project (Anxiety, Stress, Brain-friendly museum Approach) was born from the collaboration between the Centro di Studi sulla Storia del Pensiero Biomedico (CESPEB), the University of Milan and the University of Milano-Bicocca. The underlying idea is as simple as it is revolutionary: museums are not only places of culture, but can become allies for psychophysical well-being.
As the project’s art therapist, I lead clinical art therapy sessions within three museum institutions: the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (GAM), the Natural History Museum in Milan, and the Museo d’Arte Orientale (MAO) in Turin.
How the Sessions Work
Each session takes place in the museum galleries, in direct contact with the exhibited works. Participants are not mere visitors: through art materials, they enter into dialogue with the artworks and with their own emotions. The museum environment — with its quiet spaces, its lighting, its beauty — amplifies the therapeutic experience in a unique way.
The programme includes:
- Welcome and grounding in the museum space
- Guided observation of selected works
- Art therapy activity inspired by the encounter with art
- Sharing and reflection within the group
Research Findings
The research has involved over 350 participants and has compared different methodologies — mindfulness, art therapy, chair yoga, guided tours. The data collected demonstrate that art therapy in the museum generates the most intense emotional experiences among all the methodologies tested, with a significant reduction in anxiety and stress levels.
The museum becomes a space in which to take care of oneself through beauty and creativity.
An Evolving Project
Having explored the impact of museum therapy on adults and museum staff, the project is now turning its attention to under-18s, seeking to offer concrete responses to issues such as anxiety, stress and social isolation among young people.
Being part of this research team means, for me, bridging clinical practice and scientific research, demonstrating with data what I experience every day in my work: art heals.