Curating Being Present with Art for Nursing Graduate Students

Being Present with Art, or BPWA, is a method of integrating mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) meditation, with art and museum pedagogy. A research study examining the impact of the BPWA method on stress, attention and sense of belonging, or connection, showed that participants self-reported lower stress levels, increased attention, and a greater sense of belonging after each session. Additionally, participants continued to self-report less stress a month after completing the four-week-long BPWA curriculum. Since its development in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BPWA method has been offered to diverse audiences, with nurses and nursing students comprising a significant group. BPWA has activated artwork in the Yale University Art Gallery’s collection for Yale School of Nursing graduate students, as well as sparked novel connection between the Barnes Foundation and nursing faculty and students in the greater Philadelphia region.