Artists across cultures and throughout history have long recognized what scientific research has only recently been able to confirm: The arts are essential to our ability to heal and thrive. The emerging field of neuroarts studies how the arts and aesthetic experiences change the brain, body, and behavior – and how this knowledge can be […]

Around this time last year, many parents, teachers, and students ventured into the great unknown—a year of remote or hybrid learning. We fretted about learning losses from the disruptive lockdowns of spring 2020 and the many challenges ahead for navigating virtual classrooms. This year, as the U.S. attempts a return to in-person instruction amidst a […]

When class resumed the day after Labor Day for Jazz Dance Level I at Towson University’s Community Dance Center, no children filled the room, stretching in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. No Duke Ellington or Billie Holliday blared from the speakers. No parents chatted idly in the lounge. Instead, children and teachers—holed up in their […]

We are excited to announce the launch of the NeuroArts Blueprint, a global field-building initiative from the Aspen Institute’s Health, Medicine and Society Program and the International Arts + Mind Lab. The NeuroArts Blueprint will articulate and advance the scientific foundation and evidence for the role of arts in health and wellbeing through the lens […]

Art has always been a reflection of and response to the world around us. It’s also a way of envisioning what is possible and what is just. We have seen art-making on the front lines of the current uprising, with people around the world using art to call out racism, end police brutality and fight […]

Typically at this time of year, we start to hear and read news stories about the dreaded “summer brain drain” or “summer slide” for students. What exactly is sliding and where does it happen? Studies show that most students lose skills in math without practice over the summer—up to 3 months of what they learned […]

The arts are a powerful way of responding to and addressing inequity and injustice.  As part of IAM Lab’s series exploring Arts for Health Equity and Social Justice, we are sharing art here —songs, signs, dancing, murals, poetry and more—and urging readers to join us in spending time with it, learning from it and taking […]

Healthcare professionals are under extreme pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is putting their medical training and resourcefulness to the test daily. Many are going above and beyond the call of duty by turning to the arts to comfort and heal patients. As a clapback to the virus, singing and dancing have erupted spontaneously […]

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, older adults were at risk for social isolation and loneliness.  Because the elderly are more vulnerable to COVID-19, they are wisely being asked to stay in their homes, retirement centers, and nursing facilities, reducing their potential exposure to the virus.  But with restrictions on their movements as well as visits […]

As we grapple with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are making and appreciating art as a way to cope, renew and restore.  People adjusting to life on lockdown have intuitively turned to the arts in every form—drawing, writing, singing, dancing, baking, crafting and more.  Research is proving that the arts are […]