ARTS&WELL-BEING
Your ticket to better health!
big ideas
performing arts centers are community health centers
Performing Arts Centers enhance the health and well-being of their communities through their productions, programming and outreach.
Did you know? Attending a performance 1 – 2 times per month has similar health value as exercising 1 – 2 hours per week.
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arts education is public health
Youth who engage in the arts have improved mental and psycho-social health outcomes.
Did you know? Students who engage with the arts are 24% less likely to experience depression and 22% less likely to engage in substance use.
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arts & culture are essential to well-being
Access to arts and culture is a social determinant of health.
Did you know? Research now shows that arts participation is a positive health behavior, so providing equitable access to the arts is among njpac’s top priorities.
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events
The Courage in Care: Community Doulas and the Joyful Revolution of Birth
April 29 – July 15
Newark ArtSpace
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: 11AM – 5PM
Sunday: 12PM – 5PM
Or by appointment outside of gallery hours
Contact cheyenne.ceasar@newarkarts.org to schedule an appointment.
The Courage in Care: Community Doulas and the Joyful Revolution of Birth was developed by Narrative Initiative, the Burke Foundation, and In Good Company in collaboration with New Jersey community members and a statewide advisory council of community doulas and maternal health leaders.
Community doulas are trusted, culturally rooted birth workers who provide emotional, physical, and informational support to mothers throughout pregnancy, birth, and the early postpartum period. Grounded in the communities they serve, they play a vital role in improving outcomes for parents and babies, particularly in communities impacted by systemic inequities. The Courage in Care highlights the essential role that community doulas play in maternal and infant health and emphasizes the urgent need for better support and recognition within the healthcare system.
Through photojournalism, audio storytelling, and immersive environments, the exhibit explores abundance, community, joy and justice – grounded in the lived experiences of New Jersey doulas and the families they serve.
The exhibit and associated community events are produced by NJPAC Arts & Well-Being and supported by the Burke Foundation, Ascend at the Aspen Institute, MERCK for Mothers, Community Health Acceleration Partnership, Turrell Fund, MCJ Amelior Foundation, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Watch past events
Like exercise and good nutrition, the arts are good for our health.
OUR INITIATIVES
arts in health research lab
The Arts in Health Research Lab is a collaborative, interdisciplinary Research Lab in partnership with Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts. It conducts innovative arts in health research in the state of New Jersey and is creating a research and evaluation framework to measure the impact of NJPAC programs.
What makes this unique:
This is the first-in-the-nation partnership between a school of public health, a school of the arts, and a performing arts center. With focuses on research, education, and community development, it will help build the next generation of arts in health researchers.
ARTS IN HEALTHCARE
NJPAC is bringing the arts into healthcare facilities throughout the RWJBarnabas Health System, piloting at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. The arts programs enhance the healthcare environment for patients, staff and the community.
Programs include:
- Artists in Residence: Our specially trained artists visit patients at the bedside to improve their experience and provide opportunities for joy and creative expression.
- Culture Connects: Artists and performers bring vibrant and interactive programming to staff cultural celebrations.
- Music in the Lobby: Local musicians perform regularly in hospital lobbies for patients, staff, visitors and the community.
ArtsRX
Through ArtsRx, our social prescribing program, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey members and Rutgers University Newark students receive referrals for six months of free arts prescriptions across the City of Newark. Participants are attending shows at NJPAC, classes at Glassroots, dancing at Newark Symphony Hall, knitting at the Newark Public Library (and more!) and improving their health and well-being through the arts.
What makes this unique:
ArtsRx is the first social prescribing program in the nation to include a health insurer as a primary partner.
Why this matters:
This program increases access to arts and culture, improves health equity and health outcomes, and promotes engaging with the arts for wellness.
health promotion
We’re engaging with health partners to produce events and programs that use the arts to address local health priorities and increase access to health services and information. Our focus is on using the arts and creativity to address the state’s most pressing needs including mental health, social isolation, and maternal health.
Why this matters:
The arts offer a vehicle to create empathy, change minds and communicate health messaging to drive positive behavior change. As a trusted messenger and community partner, NJPAC can improve access to health and wellness information, promote a broader public understanding of the value of arts/culture, and increase access to the arts, which drives health equity.
training + education
To date, there is no open-source resource available to artists for skill building, networking, benchmarking, and resource sharing. NJPAC and Rutgers Arts Online will fill this gap by developing affordable, accessible online education courses to enable evidence-based use of the arts for health promotion and wellness in communities nationwide.
Why this matters:
As a social prescribing model is implemented, demand for arts and cultural programming will increase rapidly in communities across the nation. In turn, artists and arts organizations will need resources to prepare to provide arts programming that is safe and effective in enhancing health and well-being.
Resources
Arts & Well-Being at NJPAC is made possible through foundational support from:
Additional support provided by:
Merck Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Gilead Sciences, The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W. Farris Foundation Home Community Fund, M&T Bank, JPMorgan Chase and DoorDash