Block Club Chicago 10.26.23

The Chicago Arts & Health Pilot for Creative Workers will place 10 artists in five mental health clinics for a yearlong partnership.

Northwoods Star Journal, 10.26.23

City administrator Patrick Reagan announced at the Rhinelander Common Council meeting Oct. 9 a request for qualifications will be reissued for a Rhinelander skate park.

That’s a wrap on Oakland’s Life is Living Festival! 🩵Stay tuned for more updates for next year’s festival in July 2024! 📆✏️

NBC Chicago, 06.15.23

The fence surrounding Semillas de Justicia Garden near the intersection of 27th Street and Troy Street is all decked out with a community mural entitled "Little Village Dreams."

Chicago Sun-Times, 08.26.23
“So many people have disabilities and trauma that aren’t visible. So if I make that visible, it gives us a starting place for that conversation.”

Hoodline 09.25.23

As the city of Chicago grapples with the lingering effects of the pandemic, including job loss and worsening mental health, a new pilot program aims to address both issues. Launched by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Arts & Health Pilot for Creative Workers provides job training opportunities for professional artists whose creative skills could help bolster mental health treatment and services within the city.

Broadway News, 09.25.2023

Tony Award nominee Lear deBessonet with Nataki Garrett and Clyde Valentin launch the Federal Theatre Project-inspired program that could reverberate to regionals and Broadway.

American Theatre 09.21.23

Lear deBessonet, Nataki Garrett, and Clyde Valentin will lead the public works project, which will culminate with site-specific arts projects in July 2024.

Route Fifty 09.20.23

A pilot program in Chicago looks to address mental health workforce shortages, while exploring the benefits of holistic treatment through mediums like art.

Big Island Now 09.18.23

Artists will gain access to industry experts in business, planning, marketing and other areas that support their growth as artistic entrepreneurs and working artists.

The article is about how a woman veteran found healing and community through a free art program offered by a nonprofit organization in Southern Maryland. Read more about her inspiring story and the benefits of art therapy for veterans.

Discover the surprising link between dementia and art, and how some patients unleash their hidden creativity due to brain changes.

A new program that connects local artists with mental health clinics and a national initiative that uses art to heal and connect communities are featured in this article by WTTW News.

Leveraging the power of the arts for the wellbeing of all.

The Gainesville Sun 8.17.23

Gainesville was one of nine cities selected in April 2022 by the National League of Cities to take part in the initiative, which is designed to spotlight the role of arts in improving the overall well-being and resilience of communities across the country.

This is a review of an article by Christina Caron that explains how art can help people with their mental health and how One Nation One Project is related to this idea by launching a national initiative to use art as a healing tool for communities.

One Nation/One Project announces major lead gift of up to $5 million from Doris Duke Foundation.

Candid. Philanthropy News Digest covers Doris Duke Foundation gift.

Founder and Co-Artistic Director for One Nation One Project

Lear deBessonet is a Tony-nominated theater director with a deep commitment to community engagement and accessibility. She is the artistic director of Encores at New York City Center, and the Founder of the acclaimed Public Works program at the Public Theater (now in its 11th year, with iterations in multiple cities). deBessonet has directed many large-scale, pageant-style musicals featuring 200 performers, and also recently directed Into the Woods on Broadway and Annie Live for NBC. She loves her hometown, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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Co-Artistic Director for One Nation One Project.

Nataki Garrett is a highly accomplished Executive Artistic Leader and critically acclaimed film and theater maker. Garrett’s vision is to support artists; to manifest innovation; to inspire creativity and to ensure the future of the theater industry by centering artists as thought leaders and change makers who transform culture.

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