Turning "Isolation into inclusion"

Museum prescriptions, music in healthcare, and the re-imagining of a senior center

Hi all,

Welcome to the first edition of “Creative for Health.” I'm launching this newsletter and community because I believe we need more spaces where creativity and care come together—where we can find inspiration, share resources, and support one another in our work and wellbeing.

This is for everyone working in or exploring the many fields where art and health meet: artists, writers, therapists, healthcare providers, students, researchers, designers, architects, educators, administrators, policy makers—and anyone curious about how creativity can support healing and connection.

Whether you’re seeking new opportunities, fresh ideas, or simply a bit of inspiration, my goal is to support you along your personal, educational, or professional path.

I’d love your input as I build this. What would help you feel more supported, successful, or joyful in your work? What challenges are you facing? Just hit reply and share one thing—I read every message.

And if you know someone who might enjoy or benefit from this newsletter, feel free to forward it to them.

News 📰

🖼️ Doctors in a Swiss town are offering free museum visits to support their patients’ health.

🏥 Newark, New Jersey art exhibit celebrates the work doulas do to support maternal health during birth and postpartum.

🏞️ The Vancouver Art Gallery and the B.C. Parks Foundation’s PaRx program are offering patients free visits to the Emily Carr exhibit to help improve mental health.

🎶 Philanthropist, Wallis Annenberg founded GenSpace, a community center for seniors in Los Angeles that offers the arts including dance and the visual arts to seniors. Her hope has been to help remedy the loneliness epidemic so that “isolation would turn into inclusion.”

Research 🔬

℞ A recent study in Lancet Public Health shares learning from examples of Social Prescribing in the USA. The report explores how 23 different model arts and social prescribing programs are working to meet the needs of people in their communities.

🖼️ In a recent systematic review, researchers from the University of Vienna evaluated how, when and why art viewing supports mental health. They found that simply looking at visual art, visiting a museum or having art in your hospital room can enhance well-being.

℞ In qualitative study by researchers in the UK participants in Arts on Prescription programs reported positive effects on psychosocial wellbeing, including finding common ground, feeling healthier and more human, connecting with inner resources, and establishing new routines.

Education 🎓

🖋️ The Good Listener Project is accepting application for their online training course. It’s ideal for those interested in thoughtful listening, integrating arts and humanities into medicine, and helping the healthcare community. Graduates of their Summer Cohort prepare to become Certified Listener Poets.

🎶 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 📆

🎉 Communities across the United Kingdom will be celebrating Creativity and Wellbeing week, May 19 - 25, 2025.

🧠 Who Needs Art: A Thought Leadership Summit will be held on May 20, 2025. This Greater Kansas City’s Workshop Series features presentation from leaders driving innovation at the intersection of art, health, mental health, and well-being.

🎉 Riverside County, CA brings back “The Art of Wellness” fairs throughout the month of May, 2025.

💬 The Graphic Medicine International Collective (GMIC) announced the works shortlisted for the 2025 GMIC Awards. The awards honor health-related comic projects in three categories: educational, short-form, and long-form. Winners will be announced in an online ceremony in July 2025.

Opportunities 🌱

📚 The Special Collections and Archives department of the Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library is looking for a Collection Specialist to care for and preserve the College of Nursing’s artifacts, exhibits, archives, and oral history recordings.

🌎 The Department of Global Health & Social Medicine at King’s College London is seeking a Lecturer in Medicine, Health and Society. Applicants in any area of the social sciences with an interest in the social, cultural, political and economic aspects of contemporary medicine and health are encouraged to apply.

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