HEARTS: Health Enriched by the Arts

HEARTS stands for Health Enriched by the Arts. In choosing this acronym we are inspired by an emerging worldwide phenomenon: across the globe, national and regional governments, arts organizations, and passionate individuals are looking to the creative arts as a means of enhancing the health of individuals and their societies.

Our intention is to contribute significantly to this movement via three avenues:

• Health and Arts Projects: producing music and drama that create a “culture of health”
• Program Evaluation: contributing to the growing body of research in Health and Arts through the assessment of the impact of our projects on health and quality of life
• Health and Arts Publications: articles, posts, videos, and other additions to the collective body of knowledge about creating health through the arts, in both academic and general interest publications

A “culture of health” is one in which well-being is a priority that permeates all aspects of society. Since ancient times, music, dance, theater, and the visual arts have been linked with healing of individuals and communities.  With the Western world’s emphasis on biomedicine, we tend to lose sight of the larger picture that embraces the totality of human experience.  However, health practitioners, researchers, and governments around the world are (re)discovering that by accessing the wellspring of our creativity we open ourselves to our innate sense of well-being, health, and happiness.