Arts in Health and Wellbeing: State of the Field and Innovations in Practice

Jill Sonke is Director of the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida (UF) and Assistant Director of UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine.

She joins the Arts in Health and Wellbeing Initiative at Johns Hopkins University and Hospital for a discussion on the state of the field and its implications for work across the Hopkins community.

Art and design have been used as tools for healing, understanding and communicating since the beginning of humankind. Today, across the world, a diverse array of clinicians, researchers, caregivers, practitioners and community members are using the arts to promote faster healing, healthier minds and bodies and better performance. Research is catching up to provide the “why” for an arts-based approach, and initiatives are taking root.

A recent environmental scan shows that Johns Hopkins University and Hospital benefits from a variety of compelling assets in arts, health and wellbeing.

Building on these assets, a cross-university steering committee is launching a conversation about the potential for a large-scale initiative in Arts in Health and Wellbeing at the university. Led by expert Jill Sonke, this effort will begin with a review of the current state of the field including innovative new practices.

Please join us for this exciting kickoff presentation as we build a collective vision on the role of the Arts in Health that benefits our patients, families, staff, students, artists and surrounding community.