Art Gallery Advocacy: Raising Awareness About the Full Lives of Children with Medical Complexity.

Meissner, Emma; Johnson, McKenzie; Keogh, Sarah; Nogle, Crystal; Stohr, Whitney; Sutphen, Angie; Young, Colleen; Oslin, Ellie et al. · J Palliat Med · 2026

other · Level V

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Abstract

Children with medical complexity (CMC) are often underrepresented in society. To describe the creation and evaluation of a rotating art gallery exhibit featuring CMC. In partnership with their existing community advisory board, a team of photo-narrative researchers who use participant-generated photographs and personal narratives to explore lived experiences, developed a gallery exhibit featuring CMC with three framed photos, alongside a narrative about each child. The gallery was displayed online and in-person. Visitor demographics and experiences were collected via paper/electronic surveys. <i>N</i> = 30 visitors completed surveys. Most attended to support a child/family featured (<i>n</i> = 15, 50%). Despite 40% (<i>n</i> = 12) of visitors reporting their knowledge about CMC was "extremely high" before the exhibit, 40% (<i>n</i> = 12) felt that they "gained some new knowledge" and an additional 33% (<i>n</i> = 10) felt they "learned a great deal." Art gallery exhibits may be a helpful way to highlight the full lives of CMC.