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Arts & Health

The arts’ impacts on health and well-being can be seen at all stages of life. From early childhood through adolescence and youth, arts education can support the social and emotional needs of students, helping them better cope with their feelings, bounce back from adversity, and show tolerance and compassion for others. For older adults, greater frequency of arts participation has been linked to positive health outcomes. Creative arts therapies and arts-in-health programs can help address specific physical and mental health conditions and can improve the quality of life for patients and their caregivers. In cities, towns, and neighborhoods, meanwhile, arts-based strategies can contribute to greater social cohesion, health equity, and community well-being. – National Endowment for the Arts

ABOUT: Arts and Health Alliance of Central Kentucky (AHACK)

 

Mission: To promote and integrate the arts into healthcare settings to enhance the well-being of patients, caregivers, and communities.

 

Vision: To advocate for the use of arts in healing, providing resources and education on the benefits of arts in health, and fostering collaborations between artists, healthcare providers, and community organizations. The Alliance strives to create a more holistic approach to healthcare that recognizes the importance of creativity and expression in promoting health and healing.

 

LexArts has created a local arts in health council comprised of representatives from different health institutions and artists interested in working in the healthcare environment. The arts in health council meets monthly to share arts programming ideas and plan arts engagements with staff and patients of healthcare partners. This program is made possible by a grant from CHI Saint Joseph Health.  

 

If you are interested in being involved with this council, please fill out this form: https://form.jotform.com/lexarts/artsinhealthcouncil

MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) Program

Baptist Health Foundation

Bluegrass Care Navigators

CHI Saint Joseph Health

Gilda’s Club Kentuckiana

Fayette County Public Schools

LexArts

Lexington Ballet

Lexington-Fayette County Health Department

Kentucky Center for Grieving Children and Families

Project Ricochet

New Vista

TUSKA Studio

University of Kentucky Arts in HealthCare

University of Kentucky College of Education

University of Kentucky College of Public Health

University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Wildwood Music Therapy

About The PhotoVoice Project

 

LexArts wants you to participate in our community-wide PhotoVoice project! This project, in partnership with the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, focuses on how aspects of the Lexington community affect our mental health. 

 

We ask that you submit photos showcasing what you consider to be strengths and concerns of our Lexington community. Along with each photo, please include a description about what that strength or concern is and how it could impact mental health, either positively or negatively.  

 

To submit your photos, view examples of PhotoVoice submissions and find out more information, please visit this link: https://form.jotform.com/lexarts/photovoice

 

What is PhotoVoice?

PhotoVoice is a process where individuals use photographs to share aspects of their community, environment and daily experiences with others. We are using this method as both a community-wide art engagement project and mental health check-in with members of our community.

 

Goals of PhotoVoice Projects
  • Help share experiences with others
  • Help participants understand about the forces and circumstances that impact their lives
  • Bring about change by sharing experiences with the public and influencing policy makers

PAST EVENTS

Arts and Health Symposium – Nov. 16, 2024

9 a.m. – 3 p.m. | ArtsPlace, 161 N Mill St, Lexington, KY 40507

LexArts, in partnership with the Arts and Health Alliance of Central Kentucky, invite you to our Arts and Health Symposium! Discover how the arts can enhance mental and physical health through engaging discussions, interactive workshops, and expert presentations. Be part of the conversation and ignite new possibilities for health and healing through the arts.

Learn more about our featured speakers and artists:

Christine Cetrulo
Christine Cetrulo
Spanning 30 years, my fiber art has been published, purchased, and exhibited throughout Kentucky and from California to Georgia and from Texas to Wisconsin.  I notably was exhibited at the National Quilt Museum and the International Quilt Festival.  I was juried five times into the prestigious international Sacred Threads Exhibits and select work has toured galleries across the country.  I was co-chair of Quilt Artists of Kentucky for 10 years and curated over 35 exhibits.
Retired from the Department of English, University of Kentucky, I taught writing, literature, rhetoric and pedagogy and served as Associate Director of the Writing Program, the largest academic department on campus.  I was honored to receive the College of Arts and Sciences first Professionalism Award.  My work with faculty from 50 departments informs my art.  When I retired, I took my books and my imagination with me.
My art is autobiographical narrative.  I always seem to start with the title and allow it to drive the inherent story.  I invest myself totally in my work, constantly studying color and form and benefitting from on-line courses in watercolor, color theory, and behavioral sciences.
I teach adolescents, adults, senior citizens, including many who have faced traumas.  Art personally has aided me to recover from various traumas, and I should like to assist others in feeling and power and luxury of healing art.
Fiber art can be a roadmap for your journey, calling you to deep attention and intention and opening you to self-discovery.  Art-as-healing is your birthright as a human and can offer you your highest potential.  No matter who you are, your art–be it scribbles or forms–allows your imagination, your intellect, your emotions to become visible, and quite possibly help another.

 

About the workshop
PRINTING WITH INDIAN WOOD BLOCKS
Block printing has been used in India since at least the 12th century, and the method
is thought to be 2,000 years old.  Fabric and paper are printed in what can be laborious designs with the use of intricately hand carved wood “stamps” dipped in a mix of colorful dyes.
The block printing you will do in this session will be meditative and can take a free form nature.   The catalyst for your interest will be a number of samples I provide, so be sure to survey them when you have time.
I shall provide the water-based paint, the substrate (fabric or paper), a set of simple instructions, and DOZENS of Indian wood blocks in the shapes of animals, people, geometric designs. No painting experience is required.  I invite you to have fun and relax while exploring the colors you choose and the designs you create.
Jessica Evans
Jessica Evans

Jessica, a Kentucky native, earned her Bachelor of Fine Art in Ceramics from East Tennessee State University. Jessica has held a variety of roles at galleries, museums and art centers including curation, graphic design/marketing, teaching, grant-writing, and project management. She has over a decade of leadership experience in non-profit and arts administration. As a Community Arts Senior Extension Associate with Community & Economic Development Initiative of KY (CEDIK) at University of Kentucky, Jessica develops arts-expression programming and publications, provides support to county extension agents and community partners, and helps highlight the department’s research and programming through document design and other marketing/communications support. She currently serves as Board Vice-President for the Kentucky Craft History and Education Association (KCHEA) whose mission is to gather, conserve and present the history and ongoing impact of crafts in Kentucky. Jessica’s additional training as a Community Scholar and as a Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange Cohort drives her to bridge divides within communities through creativity and good stewardship. Prior to joining CEDIK, Jessica served as Executive Director of the Appalachian Artisan Center in Hindman, KY. There, she envisioned and implemented a Creative Place-making Initiative termed the “Culture of Recovery” which has gained national acclaim utilizing the power of the arts in addiction healing.  Her connection to the people and cultural institutions of Hindman and eastern KY who were severely impacted by the flooding disaster of July 2022, spurred a burgeoning interest in using the inherent healing properties of the arts in disaster recovery.

 

About the workshop

It is often said that the days after a disaster strikes are like a marathon. And while the work of recovery may seem never-ending, it is important to take moments of rest, recuperation and refocus for yourself and the overall wellness of individuals within your community. Mindfulness through art-making can reduce distractions, increase feelings of security and relaxation, and reduce cortisol and heart rates, all through a strengthened mind-body connection and focus on the present moment. This type of creative expression can re-invigorate efforts and restore motivation for long-term disaster recovery. In this workshop, you will learn how to reclaim emotional balance through the creation of mindful mandalas after life’s disasters, large and small.

Nora Veblen
Nora Veblen

Nora Veblen is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) in Lexington, KY specializing in work with individuals with neurological and cognitive impairments. Nora has experience working with people across the lifespan in a variety of healthcare settings, community spaces, and in private practice. In her role as the owner/director of Wildwood Music Therapy, Nora is passionate about supporting local communities and increasing access to high-quality music therapy and music experiences for all ages and abilities.

 

About the workshop

In this workshop, Nora will briefly talk about the practice of music therapy in healthcare and then lead participants through group therapeutic music experiences focused on relaxation, mindfulness, and mood. Experiences may include activities like guided breathing and imagery, singing, active music listening, and active music making. No musical skills or experience are expected.