Participatory Art for Mental Health: A Therapeutic Empowerment

The background that drove the research is that the condition of people with mental illness (PMI) was usually unproductive and tended to be a burden on the family and was exacerbated by the high stigma against PMI in Indonesia. As a result, there were acts of deprivation, confinement, exclusion, and other forms of discrimination that suppress human values. PMI was limited in their living space and socially ostracized because they were accused of disturbing social stability. The purpose of creating art with PMI is the implementation of strengthening social capital through collaboration-based innovations of civil society, academics, and stakeholders that led to the empowerment of people with disabilities. The low productivity of PMI required creative intervention in art creation. Art activities could be encouraging because they felt valued, given productive and fun activities. Currently, art activities were still limited to relaxation and fun distribution. Therefore, this research was a co-creation effort that had an economic impact. The art creation method used was participatory, focusing on inculcating habits, customs, values, and norms without coercion. The participatory process emphasized one's participation in the process of creation. Researcher ensured that the art produced was worthy of being exhibited and had a selling value. This approach produced participatory work that raised the dignity of the participants. The participatory art approach could be considered successful based on the physical indicators of the creation of new art creation. Socio-psychological indicators were the formation of participation, confidence and self-esteem of participants, and the rise of social energy that fostered new enthusiasm for socio-economic improvement. Keywords: participation, PMI, empowerment, art creation DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/12-18-02 Publication date:September 30th 2022