Project by Meg Konkol (2019)
Alcoholism and substance use disorder (SUD) are major epidemics in the United States. As community partners, museums can provide welcoming environments for existing support groups and positive programming as part of a larger commitment to communal recovery. This project design integrates the principles of health care room design, the best practices of museum health and wellness programs, and the anecdotal desires of the AA community. Museums are presented guidelines for two separate levels of engagement; the integration of AA or other support groups as a regular room renter or the creation of art-therapy based programming specific to recovery with the option of including outside support groups. Museums are provided a room evaluation survey and guidelines for adapting an existing program, MoMA’s Meet Me, to the needs of people in recovery.
Keywords: addiction, alcohol, Alcoholics Anonymous, community, design, healing, inclusion, museums, support groups, recovery, Planetree, Meet Me.
The author is not a representative of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Keywords: addiction, alcohol, Alcoholics Anonymous, community, design, healing, inclusion, museums, support groups, recovery, Planetree, Meet Me.
Citation:
Konkol, M. (2020). Inclusion of Community-Driven Substance Abuse Recovery Support Groups in Museum Settings: How Physical Spaces Can Contribute to Healing Communities . Unpublished master’s project, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.