'Gilcrease In Your Neighborhood' Project Helps Collect Data On Mental Health

While the Gilcrease Museum is under construction, the program "Gilcrease in Your Neighborhood" has been showcasing art across the city.

The museum has also been collecting data to better understand how art impacts people's mental health.

As people checked out the art on display across Tulsa this year, many were also asked questions about how it impacted them.

Norma Howard's "Gathering Corn," sits at Guthrie Green and 30 other locations across Tulsa for another month. It is one of three pieces of art included in the first year of "Gilcrease in Your Neighborhood."

Related Story: Gilcrease Museum Adds More Artwork To Its Online Collection

"Well-being was one of the goals of the project,” Director of Learning and Community Engagement Alison Rossi said. She leads the project for the museum.

Gilcrease In Your Neighborhood is about more than bringing art to people. It's also about learning what it does for them.

"All of our programs are really meant to reach people in places where they're going anyways, parks, supermarkets, doctor's offices, so it reaches people where they are," Rossi said previously.

About 250 people took a survey; there were also interviews and casual conversations that helped the museum collect data and stories about the impact art can have.

"We asked people if the piece inspired them, if it made them happier if it helped them connect with others. And those are things that we know contribute to well-being,” Rossi said.

She explained the results are overwhelmingly clear: Art is doing good things for Tulsans.

Related Story: 'Gilcrease In Your Neighborhood' Program Brings Artwork To Broken Arrow's Rose District

"Ninety-nine percent of the people that have seen these installations and experienced them talked about that it improved their mood, and gave them a better day,” she said.

The paintings were on display all across Green Country since the program's debut in Oct. 2022, including Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Jenks and Sand Springs.

Some previous artworks on display for the project include a replica of a piece called “Forest Scene” by artist Pop Chalee and ‘An Island of Redbuds on the Cimmaron,’ which was painted by WWII veteran and Pawnee artist, Brummett Echohawk with a bowie knife, according to Rossi.

When Gilcrease in Your Neighborhood starts again next year, the museum said it will have five locations instead of 31, and they will all be outdoors.

1. To see where the work is on display, click here.