How can arts participation in communities influence social cohesion and well-being?
One Nation/One Project seeks to answer that question.
Through participatory qualitative, quantitative, and arts-based methods, our research team is exploring the relationships between arts participation and health in communities across the U.S.
-
Our research methods are grounded in equity. We value social relationships, lived experiences, histories, narratives, stories, artworks and cultural expressions. Every community is different, and our research should be reflective of the vast and diverse artistic experiences of the U.S.
We’re also committed to advancing equity in research practices, which is why our research is co-created and co-owned by individuals in the communities in which we work. These partnerships allow data and information to be shared back to communities to inform future investments, research and arts and health programming.
-
Our team has undertaken foundational studies that define “arts participation,” as well as reviewed current research concerning arts participation, social cohesion and wellbeing. To read our first research brief, click here!
Our Theory of Change Study is exploring relationships between the arts, social cohesion, and well-being through surveys, focus groups, and participatory art murals.
Lastly, our team is researching social prescribing and arts prescribing through implementation science studies and in-depth case study of three #ArtsForEveryBody communities creating social prescribing programs of their own!
Research Library
Research and Impact Team
Our Researchers in Action






![IMG_8082[94]-enhance-4x-faceai.jpeg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/64ad8ce16b5571091a245158/42b31ebe-fb3a-4053-b337-62347f62f3e0/IMG_8082%5B94%5D-enhance-4x-faceai.jpeg)


This research brief summarizes a study examining how arts participation can build social cohesion and enhance well-being in communities, presenting key findings from an integrative literature review and introducing a conceptual model that illustrates the relationships between arts participation, social cohesion, and well-being.