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PORTLAND, Maine

Interprofessional student research team celebrates participants' artwork with two art exhibits

Master of Public Health students Collyn Baeder and Zoe Hull, and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy students Adrian Jung, Rebecca Masterjohn, Virginia Sedarski and Michaela Hoffman, hosted two art exhibits for their research project, “Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment of the Perceived Identity of Aging Maine Residents.”

The research team, funded by a mini-grant from the Center for Excellence in Interprofessional Education (CEIPE) and mentored by public health and occupational therapy faculty members, Rebecca Boulos M.P.H., Ph.D., and Regi Robnett, Ph.D., OTR/L, investigated the topics of perception, identity, and aging with a group of residents from the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland. The Visual Voices methodology involves group discussion and art activities about the research topics.

The resulting artwork, created by both students and participants, was displayed in Mechanics Hall on Congress Street in Downtown Portland during the First Friday Art Walk on May 1. More than 200 people visited the exhibit over the course of the evening, including Park Danforth residents, UNE faculty, staff, students, and administrators and the general public.

A smaller, more intimate exhibit took place at Park Danforth on Saturday, May 9. Approximately 50 people attended, including Park Danforth staff, residents and their families, UNE students and faculty. Attendees at both exhibits enjoyed healthful refreshments donated by Whole Foods Market and had the opportunity to illustrate their own thoughts about perception and identity.

An important goal of these exhibits was to bring a wide audience into contact with the artwork with the aim of encouraging a more holistic view of the aging adult population. At both exhibits, the student research team was approached by attendees who commented that the artwork did in fact help to broaden their perspective on this population.

About the University of New England

The University of New England 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 flexible, accredited online degrees. 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.