From Absence to Presence
Grantmakers in the Arts recently invited me to write a response to ArtPlace America’s recent studies of how art’s being used to support US communities.
I shared how arts and culture help us rethink our approach to “health”…and reimagine what it means to cultivate it:
“FROM ABSENCE TO PRESENCE: ARTS AND CULTURE HELP US REDEFINE ‘HEALTH’”
SOME HIGHLIGHTS:
🗣 Health "is not just about what’s absent. What’s here?"
🗣 "Sometimes our engagement with art is less about alleviating a difficult experience than accompanying or articulating it. In other words, art doesn’t exist merely to make us *feel good,* yet humans have long looked to art to help us *be well.* What might this distinction mean for how we understand health and well-being?"
🗣 "...we must recognize the critical health value of the connections and experiences that support humans in being well—even when and as we face difficulties. These too are determinants of health."
Check out the full article here!