Article on effects of art making authored by 91AV faculty and students accepted for publication

91AV faculty members Sarah Gorham, M.F.A., M.A.T., associate lecturer in the Department of Creative and Fine Arts; Nancy Rankin, M.Ed., L.P.C., senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology; David Grimm, Ed.D., associate lecturer in the Department of Biology; and David Sandmire, M.D., professor in the Department of Biology, co-authored an article that was recently accepted for publication by the journal Anxiety, Stress, & Coping: An International Journal.  

Four 91AV students were co-authors of the article as well: Daniel Eggleston (College of Osteopathic Medicine), Cecelia French (College of Arts and Sciences), Emily Lodge (Westbrook College of Health Professions) and Gavin Kuns (College of Osteopathic Medicine).  

The study, titled “Psychological and Autonomic Effects of Art Making in College-aged Students,” found that a 30-minute session of art making significantly reduced both one’s subjective, self-reported level of anxiety as well as one’s objective, physiological measures of anxiety in the short-term.  The group hopes to extend these findings by next examining the effects of a long-term art making regimen on both student anxiety and student academic performance.  

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.