The Office of the VPR and the College of Fine Arts are excited to host a 2-hour, in-person town hall focused on Arts & Health research. The goal of the town hall is to identify faculty interested in pursuing research and/or creative scholarship focused on Arts & Health and to identify next steps we might make in this space (e.g., a working group, hub, center, or grant). The town hall will be led by AVPR Jakob Jensen and Becky Zarate, the ADR of Fine Arts. All are welcome to attend the town hall.
The working group has adopted the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) definition of Arts & Health to frame the activity of the working group: “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 to cope with their feelings, to bounce back from adversity, and to 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 to 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.”
The Arts and Health Working Group would like to explore where we already have known pockets of research strength in this area on campus – where we have both a depth of knowledge in CAT/arts in health programs and strong treatment specialization (e.g., Alzheimer’s treatment, aging management, cancer research, targeted pain management, etc.) However, the Arts and Health Working Group is also looking to hear from the community engaged in this type of work on what the other focuses should be in this space and where we can expand our reach.
The town hall will take place on Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 from 1pm-3pm. The first session will promote the working group, help determine first steps, and to ensure that we are actively meeting the areas of need for various populations and for researchers who wish to collaborate and develop research action in this space.
Participating individuals will have an opportunity to present 2-slide (maximum) lightning talks of their current research/ideas and to collectively brainstorm ideas for collaborative, cross-campus work and/or aims for new research endeavors. Lightning talks will be limited to 1 minute per person. Space for lightning talks is limited.
Please RSVP for this in-person retreat by January 8, 2024. RSVP is required to ensure a room with adequate seating can be arranged AND to ensure participants who want to present a lightning talk can be scheduled. RSVPs are accepted HERE.
Questions can be directed to vprgrants@utah.edu.