Curated Spaces

Throughout the common areas of Haven House, there are several spaces where the curator will regularly remove some art objects and replace them with different pieces. This adds some mental stimulation and shows that attention is being paid to residents' environment for their benefit.

Using software developed for this project, the curator can also remotely update the artwork on all of the Digital Art Displays. This includes those in all of the bedrooms at Haven House and the digital triptych in the living room, as well as the displays in each of the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios.

The curator can follow directions from therapists to choose works of art that communicate emotions and themes appropriate for each residents' stage of recovery that also take into consideration their stated artistic preferences. This allows therapists to deliver gentle, personalized environmental reinforcement at crucial points in their patients' recovery.

It should be noted that curation is performed with the knowledge that trauma recovery absolutely requires a stable environment. This is primarily achieved through functional aspects, i.e., physical and emotional safety, continuity of personal relationships, and consistent routines and structure. By contrast, art curation makes only occasional, limited, purely visual decorative changes on a regular, announced schedule—much like maintaining fresh flower displays, but with art. However, in circumstances when a resident is extremely unstable, therapists can simply order all curation to be paused.

Under normal conditions, experiencing small, non-threatening changes to the their environment can help mitigate residents' depression and feelings of worthlessness or detachment. But new art does more than just break up the monotony. Trauma recovery is often slow and gradual, to the point where some get frustrated and lose hope because they feel like they're not getting better. Visual environmental changes serve as cues that can help residents note the passage of time, organize it into spans which can be compared, and then recognize and ultimately celebrate their own progress.