"Finding creative opportunities is just good for you"
Work by Indigenous artists in a primary care center, a water color workshop for physicians and Movin’ and Groovin’ for Wellness
Hi all,
For each issue, I plan to spotlight work by an artist working at the intersection of arts and health: Meet Jennifer Wilkin Penick, an artist-in-residence with The Georgetown Lombardi Arts and Humanities Program. Jennifer is a Washington, DC-based mixed media artist whose work I have admired since I first discovered it in 2021. Her process-focused approach to drawing and collage has been enormously inspiring for me. You can read more about Jennifer’s work below.
You'll also find new research on how the arts are being integrated into mental health policy and how social prescribing is reaching those most in need.
News 📰
🖼️ Over the past two years, artists, including Rachel Olivia Berg have created over 100 pieces visual art for the Oyate Health Center, a tribally-owned primary care clinic based in Rapid City, SD. “It’s important for us, for Indigenous people, to have our own visual vocabulary, to have our own understanding,” says Berg.
🏥 Atlanta-based Art Pharmacy continues to expand its social prescribing services across the U.S. Recently announced programs will respond to the opioid crisis for the Town of Franklin, MA; support students’ mental health at the University of Arizona, and address the isolation and loneliness epidemic for Wellstar Health System in Atlanta, GA.
🏛️ Buildings created to support healing played a key role in the development of modernist design. Sanatoriums built during the tuberculosis crisis emphasized light, fresh air, and clean design.
🎙️ “Finding opportunities for creative expression is just good for you,” says Nisha Sajnani in this podcast episode. She is the Director of the Program in Drama Therapy and Theatre & Health Lab at NYU, founder of Arts & Health @ NYU, and Chair of the NYU Creative Arts Therapies Consortium.
Research 🔬
🎶 A scoping review of arts in mental health policy in the United States found that arts in mental health policy is still new in the U.S., with most recommendations focusing on long-term collaboration and funding. Due to the current mental health crisis in the U.S., researchers suggest that now is key moment to bring stakeholder’s together to shape lasting policies that support using the arts to improve mental health.
💃 A 10-week Randomized Controlled Trial evaluating participatory arts programs for university students at the National University of Singapore found improvements in mental health, quality of life, and creativity. The program was called Movin’ and Groovin’ for Wellness, which offered facilitated group drumming, dancing, and improvisation.
🖼️ This systematic literature review asked, “Do youth sector provision activities and programs impact on mental health, and if so, what outcomes?”Researchers found that music, art, and recreation, and community activities — including youth programs and short-term interventions — can have a positive impact on mental health, emotional, and behavioral difficulties.
℞ This study looked at who receives social prescription referrals in England. Researchers found that older adults, people with chronic pain, loneliness, low income, and those receiving benefits were more likely to get social prescription referrals. Thus, social prescription services seem to be reaching those who need it most.
Education 🎓
🩺 McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at the UTHealth Houston has launched a Medical Humanities Workforce Training Program for Physicians. The 24-month certificate is primarily virtual with in-person intensives. Those who teach in a health professional context may also apply. Fall 2025 applications close on June 15.
🖋️ Rowan University is piloting their first Healing Arts Workshops for Resident Physicians in the Internal Medicine Residency at Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill in New Jersey. A guided watercolor workshop will support clinician wellness.
🎶 The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University will be running The Power of Music in Healthcare: Creative Considerations for Music Professionals June 9-13, 2025. Professional performers, music teachers and arts administrators interested in exploring how music can transform are encouraged to apply for this in-person training program.
📓 Arts in Health Netherlands (AiHN ) is running a week-long Summer School from June 23-27, 2025. The School introduces students to scientific research exploring how the arts are being used to re-humanize healthcare, promote wellness and recovery, and support healthy living. Students who complete the School can receive an official ‘digital credential’ from the University of Groningen.
Events 📆
🗣️ Join the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Roundtable on June 4, 2025. Hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Creative Health and the National Centre for Creative Health the Roundtable will discuss how creative health activities and approaches can support children’s and young people’s mental health.
🎤 “Healing Arts in the Age of Anxiety,” a June 3, 2025 event at SXSW London will explore how the arts can support mental health through evidence-based interventions.
🎭 Shakespeare’s Globe Artistic Director Michelle Terry will host a night of performance and discussion considering the impact of culture and Shakespeare on health and wellbeing at The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. The June 4, 2025 event continues a collaboration between the Globe and the World Health Organization.
🎥 The Arts in Healing International Film Festival will run June 13-14, 2025, in Portland, OR, USA and online. The event brings together artists, filmmakers, health professionals policy makers and others to spotlight how the arts support well-being.
📚 In their webinar, Building Community-Based Wellbeing or “Social Prescribing” in the Library, Rebecca Hass and Tammy Turner will share research on the health benefits of meaningful activities and social connection and provide information about model social prescribing projects. Join them on May 28, 2025.
Opportunities 🌱
🌳 Do you have a creative idea about how to improve mental health and social well-being in rural places? The LOR Foundation is now accepting project proposals. Apply by June 6, 2025 to receive between $1,000 and $25,000 in funding.
🎶 The Centre for Music and Health at the National University of Singapore is looking for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with a strong research background and an interest in how music can impact health and well-being.
🎨 The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases is accepting submissions for their Rare Artist Annual Contest. The program focusses on advocating through visual artwork, poetry, and music. Entries are welcome from June 2 – July 9, 2025.
🎶 Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre is looking for a composer/musician or dance artist to join the Arts for Health Partnership Program and focus on programming for elders across West Cork. Apply by May 28, 2025.
Resources 🧰
🧠 The newly launched Neuroarts Resource Center is the place to find curated user-generated resources for those interested in how the arts and aesthetic experiences enhance health and wellbeing. Their team organized the information into five sections: The Library, The Directory, The Professional Opportunities section, The Funding section, and The Events section.
Featured Artist: Jennifer Wilkin Penick is a Washington, DC-based teaching mixed media artist, offering classes both online and in-person. She teaches collage and printmaking classes at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, at Shop Made in DC Georgetown, and has been an artist-in-residence with Georgetown University Hospital's Arts & Humanities Program since 2018. Jennifer often uses her Instagram account to reveal her artistic process. These glimpses at her sketchbook pages are an example. “I start with some pieces of collage paper and then let them inspire my ink doodling,” she says.
