Your doctor gave you a sensoryprescription for your stressYour office wasdesigned to promote your healthand wellbeingYour elderly parentcould use music andart to fight the effectsof dementiaIMAGINE IF3All outstanding work, in art as well asin science, results from immense zealapplied to a great idea.Santiago Ramón y CajalAdvice for a Young Investigator“International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab) is a multidisciplinary research-to-practice initiative accelerating the field of neuroaesthetics. collaboration,research, and program implementation located at the Brain Science Institute(BSI), Johns Hopkins University Medical School. IAM Lab was formed to bringtogether scientists and practitioners in architecture, music and the arts in aglobal effort to amplify human potential. IAM Lab is committed to shapingand growing the neuroaesthetics field through collaboration, research, andprogram implementation. By taking an outside-in approach to health,wellbeing and learning, IAM Lab advocates for impact-based thinking thatwill change the way we think today and enhance the way we live tomorrow.Brief History2007 The Walters Art Museum holds convening on the philosophy of aesthetics2008The Brain Science Institute hosts perception and cognition conference tocontinue to explore these issues called The Science of the Arts2010The Brain Science Institute launches The Science of the Arts conference toshare information about how the brain processes, responds to, and creates art2011-2015The Brain Science Institute funds five research programs investigatingcreativity, vision, touch, sound, digital technology and brain recovery of an artist2016The Brain Science Institute forms the International Arts + Mind Lab toformalize its commitment to accelerate neuroaesthetics research, training, and dissemination2017IAM Lab develops Impact Thinking, a consensus framework to addressintractable issues using an empirical and translational neuroaestheticsresearch and dissemination model2018IAM Lab builds broad interdisciplinary and multi-sector network ofresearchers, artists, clinicians, organizations, and institutions to fostercollaborationWHO WE ARE5WHAT WE DOBuilding the field of neuroaesthetics We bring together the best minds and ideas across basic and socialscience, architecture, music, and the arts to create a commonlanguage and agenda for the neuroaesthetics field that is focused onimpact in health, wellbeing, and learning. We define andcommunicate the landscape of neuroaesthetics stakeholders and themany applications of its research. Establishing a neuroaesthetics community IAM Lab is a place to access content and ideas for using the arts tobetter understand and ultimately improve how people live in theworld. We amplify expert voices, convene diverse stakeholders, andfoster dialogue about pressing topics. Designing and testing a translational approachIAM Lab is accelerating the role that arts + mind approaches can playin solving intractable problems such as Alzheimer’s and dementia,chronic stress, PTSD, and autism. Using Impact Thinking, we bringtogether practitioners and researchers to collaboratively developresearch approaches that meet their needs. We equip our partnerswith new capacity, tools, and resources to evaluate the impact of theirefforts and ultimately replicate and scale best practices. 7WHY OUR WORK MATTERSGlobally, the incidence of chronic disease, depression,and stress continue to rise. Hundreds of millions ofpeople are living with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia,Parkinson’s disease, and post-traumatic stress disorder.Even more are suffering from a variety of disorders andconditions affecting their mental health, wellbeing, andlearning outcomes. Pharmaceutical solutions arenecessary but often costly and time prohibitive.Pharmaceutical solutions are an option for many issuesbut are not a complete answer.Beyond prevalence of disease and disorder, access toopportunities to create and behold art and healingdesign are not equitably distributed across society atlarge. We know more than ever before about the sensorysystems that enable us to process and decode the worldaround us, but access to knowledge on the healingeffects of aesthetics is limited to a small community. Webelieve there is a better way forward, a way thatintegrates the arts and brain science to create evidence-based, scalable, and affordable arts-based approachesthat solve society’s most intractable problems. As ourwork underscores, there is tremendous interest andunmet demand for such an approach.9WHAT WE’VE ACCOMPLISHEDFor 20 years, the neuroaesthetics field has studied theneurobiology of the arts and its specific impact on braindevelopment and behavior. To date, neuroscientists, socialscientists, clinicians, and practitioners interested in thesetopics have largely operated in isolation, lacking high-qualitydata sets, standardized measures and implementationprotocols, and statistical power to make any causal claimsregarding impact or influence evidence-based practicebroadly. With rising acknowledgement of the limitations of thisdisparate effort, researchers and practitioners are calling fora consensus framework that brings together studies of thebehavioral outcomes of arts experiences with biologicalmodels to map the neurological bases for various aestheticexperiences. This approach would enable researchers andpractitioners to document, refine, replicate, and scalesuccessful interventions. Development of Impact ThinkingConsensus FrameworkThe Need for a Translation Approach11Our ResponseProblem Identification12Collaborative Discovery Impact Thinking4Research Design5Research Implementation6Analysis7Refine-Retest-Recommend 8Dissemination & Scaling 3Hypothesis Conducting ImpactThinking ResearchIn April 2017, the IAM Lab gathered 16interdisciplinary scientists, artists, andpractictioners for the first Impact Thinking WorkingGroup meeting. We discussed the merits of fiveexisting research models (Action Research, Theoryof Change, Design Thinking, Public Health, andScience of Learning) for neuroaestheticstranslation. Through candid discussion and richcross-disciplinary discourse, the working groupproduced three key recommendations:Collaborative DiscoveryBefore solving a problem, think about all thecharacteristics endemic to the problem (social,cultural, geographic) — the molecular all the way tosocietal. Then, convene the right cross-disciplinaryteam of experts, including members of thecommunities affected by the problem. DisseminationGo beyond traditional efforts at dissemination. As a pre-condition, seek a practitioner partner with the ability to scale the intervention and receive training and technical assistance forongoing implementation and sustainability of thework. Include key dissemination partners from the beginning.CapacityTrain research coordinators and principalinvestigators in our translation approachspecifically. Build a team of neuroaestheticsresearchers and practitioners who understand theprocess and are able to shepherd various partnersthrough the interdisciplinary approach.In June, we built on these recommendations toproduce a first draft of the Impact Thinkingframework, an eight-step research approachdefined by interdisciplinary teams; a wide-reachingproblem definition and discovery process; and afocus on documentation, dissemination, andscaling from the beginning. We solicited andreceived feedback on the draft from 30 scientistsand practitioners. Next, we incorporated that feedback into ourImpact Thinking position paper, which lays out the state of health, wellbeing, and learning; thecase for the arts; the need for a rigorous translationapproach; and the eight-step Impact Thinkingconsensus framework. We released the paper inDecember and have quickly moved into proof-of-concept research using the ImpactThinking approach. Integration of the arts and brain science inrigorous research is rare. Seeding this kind ofresearch through the lens of Impact Thinking is akey priority of the IAM Lab. IAM Lab is currentlyunderway on four Impact Thinking proof-of-concept projects and is in the early planningstages of at least two others. In addition togrowing the base of rigorous arts and brainscience research, our goal is to understand thecompetencies and capacities required to executeImpact Thinking as designed as well as whatworks, and what doesn’t, about each stage ofthe process. 13The First Four Impact Thinking Pilot ProjectsGrowing Our PartnershipsKennedy Krieger InstituteCan a sensory healing room improve the speed andquality of recovery for children with disorders ofconsciousness? To answer this question, IAM Labhas brought together a team of neurologists,neuropsychologists, nurses, and therapists witharchitects, manufacturers, and families to design,build, and test the efficacy of a sensory healingroom at this leading children’s hospital. Beginningwith interdisciplinary problem identificationmeetings, we have established key goals of theproject and cataloged existing assessments anddata collection protocols. Our collaborativediscovery process will further inform researchdesign and implementation. Drexel University and Johns Hopkins BayviewHospital ElderPlus PACE ProgramCan participation in personally meaningful arts andmusic experiences reduce cortisol levels in patientswith Alzheimer’s and dementia? The TailoredActivity Program (TAP), a personalized dementiacare program, has shown decreased agitationbehaviors among participants with Alzheimer’s anddementia. We now seek to understand thebiological mechanisms influenced by programparticipation. At the outset, IAM Lab is facilitatingan interdisciplinary process to build a biologicalhypothesis and identify the right assessments andprotocol to test it.Johns Hopkins Center for Music and MedicineCan non-traditional guitar classes improve thequality of life, motor skills, cognition, and mood ofindividuals with Parkinson’s disease? This projectwill assess the feasibility and effects of the GuitarPD program. We are using Impact Thinking to planan inclusive research approach and practitioneroriented dissemination model. Creative AllianceCan a community arts center improve the healthand wellbeing of neighborhood residents? We areusing Impact Thinking to support the CreativeAlliance, a local Baltimore arts organization, to useevidence-based principles to design a newcommunity arts facility. This project will begin witha community needs assessment as part of problemidentification. Interdisciplinary partnerships are at the heart of theIAM Lab’s approach, and we forged many newstrategic relationships over the last several years.We’ve aligned ourselves with premierorganizations leading their fields of practice. Byworking together we’ve been able to understandwhere gaps exist in capacity, knowledge, andresources. Consistently we find that: 1) leadingorganizations are seeking an approach totranslational research; 2) there is a lack ofresearchers and facilitators with training in an artsand brain science translation approach; and 3)there is unmet demand for a community of practiceto share ideas, approaches, and lessons learned inthe neuroaesthetics space. We built ImpactThinking with these needs in mind and willcontinue to implement it through our professionalpartnerships.Highlights of thesepartnerships include:Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA)Collaborative efforts on multiple joint projects.American Psychological AssociationCo-editor of 2018 journal Psychology of Aesthetics,Creativity and the Arts.National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)Contributed to their Creative Forces research gapanalysis and participated in multiple clinicalresearch summits designed to inform a researchagenda for an interdisciplinary creative arts therapyprogram for service members. Walter Reed Medical Center and NICoECollaboration on first Foundations seminar at theDali Museum on PTDS and traumatic brain injury. One Mind at WorkBringing mental health and wellness to theworkplace through education and outreach efforts. American Association for Retired Persons (AARP)Participated at AARP and Foundation for Art andHealing meeting that is working to scale programsthat address loneliness and isolation for agingadults.Aspen InstituteSupporting member of Ascend, a multi-generationrelationship-building program for families and TheArtisan Alliance, which helps women create arts-based economic development opportunities.Columbia Center Science and SocietyCollaborating to create a consortium of institutionsinterested in the intersection of the arts andscience. Together we are building a community ofpractice so that multiple academic institutions canwork together and build interdisciplinary studies atuncommon intersections. Partnering universitiesinclude Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Harvard, andVanderbilt. Brain FuturesExamining integrative health and wellbeingthrough the lens of digital technology to developalternative interventions and bring them into themainstream. 15Silkroad EnsembleUnderstanding the power of music to bridgecultural and social differences. The Tenderness ProjectServing on the advisory board of the TendernessProject, a project examining the role of sacredmusic and sacred spaces in reduction of stress andenhanced empathy created by the Vatican. American Institute of ArchitectsExploring neuroaesthetics program for architects and using Impact Thinking. Brookings InstituteServing on the advisory board for the PlayfulLearning Spaces initiative which examines andexpands the role of the arts and play in communitythrough research and dissemination network. Peabody InstituteExploring cross-institutional collaborationsincluding education programs, events, andresearch. International Child Art FoundationEditor of ChildArt Journal on neuroaesthetics.Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities Working together to build full range of arts-integrative research, curricula and programs. Interest in arts + mind approaches is at an all-timehigh. Building capacity to partner and matchlikeminded institutions and programs is essentialfor IAM Lab’s next phase of growth. EventsIAM Lab has reached many new audiences byhosting, co-hosting, and participating in keynational and international events. •IAM Lab hosted a social at the 2016 Society forNeuroscience conference. The event wasanchored by talks from the Academy ofNeuroscience in Architecture and IAM Lab, eachdesigned to answer the question, "Why wouldarchitecture or aesthetics provide challenges forneuroscientists?”•IAM Lab Executive Director Susan Magsamenjoined a panel at Technology, Art and Science(TAS), a discussion-oriented program that bringstogether esteemed professionals from differentcommunities to discuss the benefits ofinterdisciplinary collaboration. More than 200attendees interested in technology, the arts andscience attended the March event at GSVLabs inRedwood City, California. The evening’sactivities included a medley of individual talksalong with a moderated panel discussion andaudience Q&A. •IAM Lab held its first overseas convening as partof the International Life Science Summer Summitin Hebei Province, China. Organized by theUnited Nations Office for Project Services(UNOPS) with the Kavli Neuroscience DiscoveryInstitute, the three-day convening focused onbrain health from a variety of perspectives, Broadening our Reachincluding a day dedicated to the intersection ofthe arts and brain health and wellness. As leadorganizer of the arts and mind programming,IAM Lab positioned the field of neuroaestheticsin a global perspective —the arts offer solutionsand approaches to intractable issues andproblems for everyone, everywhere.•IAM Lab convened 28 artists, brain scientists,and innovators at the home of Ivy Ross,Google’s head of design for hardware, todiscuss the organization’s strategic prioritiesand brainstorm critical audiences, tactics, andresources needed to advance theneuroaesthetics field. •With the Kavli Neuroscience DiscoveryInstitute, the IAM Lab hosted Alan Alda for alecture on science communication andorchestrated an improvisational acting trainingsession led by the Alda Center for Hopkinsneuroscientists. •Finally, we launched the first IAM Lab VanguardLecture with Dr. Alva Noe of the University ofCalifornia Berkeley. Building a community withcompelling contentIn 2017, IAM Lab built a growing database of 6,000people around the world interested inneuroaesthetics, including researchers,practitioners, and journalists. To reach ouraudience, we created a quarterly newsletter withkey updates and information. We also launched ablog, featuring interviews with experts in the fieldand created social media accounts to share our owncontent as well as compelling external content. We were thrilled to serve as guest editor of the July2017 issue of Child Art Magazine, partnering withseveral contributors and profiling more than adozen innovative arts programs producingoutcomes in health, wellbeing, and learning. Child Art is distributed to more than 6,000libraries worldwide, and IAM Lab conducted itsown targeted outreach and dissemination aroundthe issue. Engaging and equippingadvisersWe formed and convened an advisory board ofkey researchers and practitioners. This includesapproximately 25 interdisciplinary representativesfrom the university and beyond.We also began forming a luminary scholars boardof artists and neuroscientists with visible platformsand networks to tap in support of IAM Lab’s goals.They include: Ivy Ross, head of hardware atGoogle; Mary Ann Mears, sculptor and artsadvocate; Guy McKhann, neurologist at JohnsHopkins University; Sur Das Lama, BuddhistLeader; Rudy Tanzi, neurologist at HarvardUniversity; and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Playful Learning scholar. 17Next >