By Inquiry Charter Healthy Owl Times reporters | Art is not only beautiful to look at, it also has benefits for your mental and physical health, according to an expert at the Barnes Foundation.
“Art is therapeutic. It gives you time to de-stress your body and take a breather,” said Ms. Diamond Gray. “It’s a nice way to be with yourself.”
Ms. Gray is the pre-K to 12 program specialist at the Barnes. She gives tours to students in grades pre-K to 2 of both special exhibition and permanent collections. She also develops in-school science and math-based art projects for students in fifth grade.
In an interview with fifth-grade Healthy Owl Times reporters, Ms. Gray described how she grew up loving art and in high school was introduced to print-making by her art teacher, Traci Mims, who is a master printmaker and visual artist. The expertise, dedication, and guidance by Ms. Mims motivated Ms. Gray to do the same for other students, which led her into the world of arts and museum education.
Art can connect you with others by “creating pictures about someone for them or their family,” said Ms. Gray. You can also find people with the same interests and make the same type of art or use similar materials.
Albert Barnes started The Barnes Foundation in 1922 in Merion, Pennsylvania, and Ms. Gray spoke about his background and why art was so important to him. Barnes, a medical doctor, was born in 1872. His father had lost an arm in the American Civil War and ended up taking a variety of jobs to support his family. Dr. Barnes eventually attended the University of Pennsylvania where he pursued a career in medicine.
According to barnesfoundation.org, Dr. Barnes became a successful pharmacologist and co-invented an antiseptic and made enough money that he was able to collect art. The Barnes Foundation now displays his art collection in Philadelphia.
Collecting art, according to Ms. Gray, helped Dr. Barnes connect with people. She said that even though he had a “rough childhood,” his love of art affected him in many positive ways. He established his first gallery as a place where students in the Philadelphia area could come and learn about art appreciation. He believed this was an important part of education, especially for students growing up the way he did.
Ms. Gray said that if visual art—paintings, drawings, and sculpture—isn’t for you, look at other art forms and see if you connect with those. Examples include stories, poetry, music, and dance. You could also look at visual art from various artists and time periods to see if one of those interests you. There is so much art to see.
“Making and consuming art benefits your mental and physical health,” said Ms. Gray. It’s a therapeutic process that helps you relax, allows you to connect with people by working together, and calms your mind. A lot of the time, we’re rushing around to school, work, and time with people, but “art can calm you down.”
Illustration by Caitlin, 7th grade, MaST, 2025-26.
