Stigma Mitigation Through Fine Arts

Author

Kendall Owens

Date of Defense

3-25-2019

Date of Graduation

4-2019

Department

Dance

First Advisor

Megan Slayter

Second Advisor

Dawn Smith

Third Advisor

Pamela Wadsworth

Keywords

stigma, fine arts, health, well-being, social

Abstract

Social stigma has plagued our society for centuries. It isolates groups of people based on erroneously defined characteristics causing stigmatized persons to be viewed as socially “abnormal”. This debarment from full social acceptance results in poor population health and well-being. Fine arts have been an integral component of society since the beginning of civilization; current and past research have found involvement in fine arts to improve health and well-being in many ways. In this project, relevant studies related to stigma, fine arts, and population health will be reviewed to support the argument that “fine arts combat and mitigate the impact of stigma by improving social interactions, thereby promoting and enhancing population health and well-being”. Interrelatedness of components within the aforementioned argument are used to support revamping the vision statement of my non-profit organization, New Generation Fine Arts Foundation (NewGen), to better guide future direction of the foundation.

Recommended Citation

Owens, Kendall, "Stigma Mitigation Through Fine Arts" (2019). Honors Theses. 3073.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/3073

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access