Arts&Culture
forCommunityHealth
Welcome to ACCESS: Arts & Culture for Community Health: Education & Skill-building Series.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and Rutgers University, with support from the Pabst Steinmetz Foundation, have developed affordable, accessible online education courses to build capacity for intentional application of arts and culture to improve individual and collective health. This education resource is intended to help arts, health, and allied practitioners provide arts programming for health promotion and well-being. Check out our course offerings below!
Looking for a subscription to ACCESS for your organization? Reach out to artsandwellbeing@njpac.org
The Foundations of Arts in Health
This three-hour self-paced introductory course offers a grounding in the field of Arts in Health, where creativity meets well-being. Learners will explore the history, policy connections and contemporary practices that link arts and culture with healthier people and communities. Along the way, participants will reflect on the tensions and opportunities within the field while engaging in their own creative practice. It’s the perfect first step for anyone curious about how the arts can support health.
$50 or free with purchase of any other course
Arts in Public Health: Advancing Health Equity through Arts and Culture
Arts in Public Health introduces learners to the ways creative engagement can strengthen community health and advance equity. Through six self-paced modules that take approximately a total of 15 hours to complete, learners explore research, case studies and practical strategies for designing impactful programs. The course blends evidence-based insights with applied activities in designing meaningful ways to connect the arts with public health. By the end, participants will be equipped to imagine and implement arts initiatives that contribute to healthier communities.
$100
Empowering Artists to Develop Evidence-Based Programming
This self-paced, approximately 15-hour course helps artists and program leaders design, evaluate and strengthen Arts in Health initiatives using research and lived experience. The five modules contain case studies, reflective prompts and practical tools for evidence-based program building. Participants will learn how to make their work more impactful and sustainable by balancing creativity with rigor. Whether starting fresh or refining their practice, this course equips learners to create programs with lasting change.
$100
The Power of Story: A Fundamental Retelling of Trauma and Healing
This course explores how storytelling can transform experiences of trauma into pathways for healing, resilience and collective change. Through 15 hours of self-paced course content, participants will study the evolution of trauma and healing practices, and learn expressive arts strategies that foster empowerment and ethical representation. Activities and reflections invite learners to consider their own role in supporting healing through storytelling. By the end, participants will gain practical approaches to using narratives as a tool for well-being, connection and liberation.
$100
ACCESS courses are created in partnership with Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts, hosted by Rutgers Arts Online.
