The Minnesota Museum of American Art’s July newsletter highlighted a recent NPR report on research from University College London suggesting that regular engagement with the arts may be associated with slower biological aging. Citing the study, the museum told readers that arts participation is linked to a 4% slower biological aging rate and framed the finding as another argument for making time for creative and cultural activity.
The newsletter’s note on the study sat alongside updates from the museum, known as the M, in Saint Paul. The institution describes itself as an inclusive community arts center and says it partners with artists, schools, libraries and cultural organizations around Minnesota. In the same email, the museum pointed readers to a range of current and upcoming programming, including exhibition tours, volunteer features and an expanded schedule of gallery hours.
The NPR story referenced by the museum reported that researchers analyzed survey data and blood samples from about 3,500 adults in the United Kingdom who were part of a long-term study. The research team used epigenetic clocks to assess rates of aging and found that people who were more regularly engaged in the arts appeared to age more slowly biologically. According to the report, the effect was observed not only among people making art, singing or dancing, but also among those taking part in cultural activities such as concerts, theater and museum visits.
In the NPR account, researcher Daisy Fancourt said arts engagement was related to a 4% slower aging rate, which the report described as roughly equivalent to being about a year younger biologically. The article also noted that the study’s findings were published in the journal 'Innovation in Aging'. Researchers and outside experts quoted in the report emphasized that the work is an intriguing observation that still needs replication, while also pointing to the possibility that creative activity may help reduce stress and support health through non-pharmacological means.
The museum’s newsletter cast the study in practical terms for its audience, connecting the reported health findings to access to art. It said the M’s free admission makes it easier to experience art regularly, echoing the study’s broader point that participation in arts activities may benefit both artists and audiences. The museum did not claim the study was conducted at the M or that its own programming was designed as a health intervention.
Elsewhere in the same newsletter, the museum directed readers to 'Queering Indigeneity', an exhibition at the Nancy and John Lindahl Gallery that opened on September 18, 2025 and is scheduled to run through August 16, 2026. The M described the project as a multi-year effort centered on 2-Spirit, Native queer and gender-expansive artists in the Upper Midwest, guided by Penny Kagigebi, and said the exhibition includes artists such as Sharon Day, Ryan Young, Delia Touché, Awanigiizhik Bruce, Niibawi Ajijaak and others.
The museum also noted that it had added an extra hour to its gallery schedule starting July 1 and was open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its calendar listed free public tours of 'Queering Indigeneity' on July 25, August 8 and August 15, along with a free monthly tour of 'HERE, NOW' on August 9.
