Arts And Healing

Thank you to the many people who have been blog contributors to, and readers of ArtsBlog over the years. ArtsBlog has long been a space where we uplifted stories from the field that demonstrated how the arts strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically; where trends and issues and controversies were called out; and advocacy tools were provided to help you make the case for more arts funding and favorable arts policies.

As part of Americans for the Arts’ recent Strategic Realignment Process, we were asked to evaluate our storytelling communications platforms and evolve the way we share content. As a result, we launched the Designing Our Destiny portal to explore new ways of telling stories and sharing information, one that is consistent with our longtime practice of, “No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number.”

As we put our energy into developing this platform and reevaluate our communications strategies, we have put ArtsBlog on hold. That is, you can read past blog posts, but we are not posting new ones. You can look to the Designing Our Destiny portal and our news items feed on the Americans for the Arts website for stories you would have seen in ArtsBlog in the past.

ArtsBlog will remain online through this year as we determine the best way to archive this valuable resource and the knowledge you’ve shared here.

As ever, we are grateful for your participation in ArtsBlog and thank you for your work in advancing the arts. It is important, and you are important for doing it.

Topic Page News Tabs

Mr. John W. Haworth's picture

Earlier this year for Memorial Day, I wrote a blog about arts programs that serve veterans and their families. As Veterans Day approaches, I want to uplift the new National...

Ms. Carol Gibson's picture

Compassionate Artists, a nonprofit in Long Beach, California, brings music, dance, and art to financially disadvantaged seniors living in residential care facilities in Southeast Los Angeles County. Founder and Executive Director Carol Gibson...

Mr. John W. Haworth's picture

As the nation observes Military Appreciation Month in May, it feels an appropriate moment to give attention to arts programs that support our military-connected communities, especially Veterans. The cultural sector plays an active and meaningful role serving Veterans and their families, and it...

A group of students pose for the camera around a white textured piano.
Sep 24, 2021

This week: the power of arts education, grants for creative therapies in the military, emergency preparedness for public artworks, branding for arts organizations, and participating in artEquity’s leadership cohort for BIPOC arts workers.

A dancer dressed in white waves a large red cloth in the air in front of a concrete wall adorned with spray painted graffiti written in Japanese characters.
Mar 12, 2021

This week: what the newly-signed American Rescue Plan means for the arts and culture sector, a hopeful dance project bearing witness to nuclear disaster, the contributions craft can bring to a community, and research on the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women—especially in the arts field.

Oct 30, 2020

Election Day is nearly here, and early voting is happening all over the country! Do you still need to make a plan to vote? Check out the Arts Action Fund ArtsVote campaign for state-by-state fact sheets that will help ensure your voice is heard at the polls! While you're waiting in line to vote, catch up here on blogs and news you might have missed this week, plus check out the upcoming virtual National Arts Marketing Project Conference—registration is open now.

Photo looking through large glass windows into an art gallery. Text on the glass reads: Can you see me?
Nov 15, 2022

The Arts in Juvenile Justice Working Group is a conglomerate of organizations and stakeholders that are passionate about the Juvenile Justice system, as it relates to the integration of creative arts therapies. Working Group member SkyArt in Chicago provides visual art programming to young people ages 5 to 24 and is currently featuring an exhibition focused on artwork from incarcerated youth and explores the impact that incarceration has on the youth population.

Jun 09, 2020

In the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, artists have been quick to respond with works that seek to memorialize, to provoke and to heal. Whether through sharing illustrations on Instagram, or creating murals in the streets of Minneapolis, many artists have created tributes to give honor to the lives of those lost to police violence and racial injustice.

Aug 12, 2019

DIAVOLO, a Los Angeles-based dance company, has made it a mission of their Veterans Project to utilize their unique style of movement as a tool to help restore veterans' physical, mental, and emotional strengths through workshops and public performances in communities all around the country. Earlier this year, the Veterans Project expanded to a national program, bringing the initiative to Kansas State University.