At its core, Project Stimulus is a research project. Project Stimulus attempts to measure the impact of the art exhibition experience on hospital staff, in hopes to transform the way art permeates care spaces and improve the overall health of people within care spaces. Taking a creative approach to traditional measuring, our academic partners face the challenging task of determining which research methodologies are most conducive to our unique situation. In a way, we are researching how to research. Through surveys, ethnography, sensory mapping, and more, we are rethinking what it means to measure impact of a space that is constantly changing.

To date, Project Stimulus has secured a corridor in the OLVG West Hospital (close to the Emergency Department), which serves as the site for artistic interventions. We have kept the space “alive” through feasibility tests, transforming the hallway into three mini-exhibitions with the work of artist and Project Stimulus member, Itamar Gilboa. These exhibitions focus on different essential aspects of exhibition design such as color and light. For the next phase of our interventions, we are branching out to work with different artists, to continue testing the art exhibition’s impact on hospital staff.

We currently work in partnership with three remarkable institutions - Amsterdam Museum, the OLVG Hospital, and the University of Amsterdam. These partnerships are an essential part of moving Project Stimulus forward and expanding our impact within our city of Amsterdam.

Increasing Project Stimulus’ visibility is one of our highest priorities. Through internal and public presentations, creative workshops, and ongoing programming, we collaborate and network with related research projects, professionals, and interested groups across the Netherlands. Visiting festivals, conferences, and interdisciplinary expert meetings allows us to both learn from and share with experts across artistic, caregiving, and academic fields.