This study of older adults in the United States finds that leisure engagement, including community, cognitive, creative, and physical activities, positively influences self-perceptions of aging, with some evidence of a reciprocal relationship in creative and physical activities, suggesting that increasing leisure engagement may improve health by enhancing positive aging perceptions.

This study on older adults finds that moderate engagement in both participatory and receptive arts activities is associated with improvements in executive function/language and episodic/working memory, respectively, suggesting potential cognitive benefits comparable to those of vigorous physical activity, while also highlighting methodological considerations for future research on the relationship between arts engagement and cognition.

This study on older adults suggests that regular engagement in receptive arts activities, such as attending galleries or performances, is associated with increased odds of healthy aging two and four years later, while participatory arts activities showed mixed associations with health outcomes, indicating potential benefits of receptive arts for prolonging healthspan and overall well-being.

This study finds that individual engagement in extracurricular arts activities is associated with fewer adolescent externalizing behaviors, suggesting a benefit in risk reduction for such behaviors, while no association was found with school-based arts engagement or the provision of arts classes and facilities at the school level.

This study demonstrates that greater social, cultural, and community engagement (SCCE) among older adults is linked to more dental and outpatient care, shorter hospital stays, and reduced need for home health and nursing home care, suggesting SCCE promotes beneficial health-seeking behaviors and could help optimize health care utilization and reduce financial burdens on the health system.

This study on a US sample during the COVID-19 pandemic found that home-based creative activities like gardening, woodwork/DIY, and arts/crafts are associated with reduced depressive and anxiety symptoms and increased life satisfaction, whereas excessive media consumption is linked to increased depressive symptoms, highlighting the importance of specific types of activities for mental health and well-being during lockdowns.

This study finds that engagement in school-based arts activities is associated with increased social support among adolescents, suggesting extracurricular arts provide valuable opportunities for social engagement and community building, despite no direct association with loneliness.

This study explores the social patterns of home-based arts engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, finding that factors like social support, network size, age, race/ethnicity, and experiences of abuse were associated with engagement in activities such as reading, arts and crafts, and digital arts, while socioeconomic and health-related factors had less impact.

This longitudinal study on emerging adults finds that increased arts engagement is associated with enhanced flourishing, particularly in psychological and social wellbeing, with these benefits more pronounced in metropolitan areas, suggesting the need for equitable arts access across communities to support youth development.

This study found that participation in community arts groups among older adults is associated with improved aspects of wellbeing, including higher positive affect, life satisfaction, purpose in life, and mastery, even after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health factors, suggesting the value of arts engagement in promoting fulfilling and satisfying lives during aging.

This study demonstrates that arts and cultural engagement in adolescence is linked to reduced antisocial or criminalized behaviors and suggests improved self-control and attitudes towards these behaviors as potential mechanisms, based on findings from two large, nationally representative cohorts.

This study finds that certain leisure activities, such as hobbies, clubs, and baking, are linked to lower rates of depression among older adults, highlighting the importance of supporting active participation in these activities as a means to promote mental health.

This study investigates the predictors of arts engagement among older adults, revealing age-related variations in engagement factors and socioeconomic inequalities, with the aim of enhancing accessibility to the health benefits of arts and cultural activities.

This study examines how demographic and socioeconomic factors influence different types of arts engagement in the US, finding a social gradient in arts event attendance but not in other forms of arts participation.

White House, 2.02.24

“Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities” brought together leaders from various sectors, including government officials; policymakers; artists; advocates; academics; and philanthropic, labor, and community leaders. This convening built on President Biden’s 2022 Executive Order to Promote the Arts, Humanities, and Museum Library Services which outlined how the arts are essential to the well-being, health, vitality, and Democracy of our nation.

National Endowment for the Arts, 1.31.24

Federal Agencies from Across Government Announce Initiatives to Strengthen the Country through Arts and Culture

Inspired by the 1936 Federal Theatre Project where 18 cities and towns presented their own interpretations of the anti-fascist play “It Can’t Happen Here,” Arts for EveryBody will bring together people and communities in 18 cities and towns across America to simultaneously premiere an array of large-scale, site-specific participatory art projects on July 27, 2024, but the journey begins today.

Borderlands Theater has won a $100,000 grant to do what it does best: making immersive, community-based theater.

GQ, 11.15.23

La salud mental debe cultivarse con distintos elementos en la rutina, y el arte debe ser parte de ellos.

Kohala Mountain News, 1.26.24

What if the arts were a bigger part of community life? Would the outcome be healthier people and healthier societies? This is the question at the heart of One Nation One Project, a national arts and health initiative lead by a team of experts with the goal of leveraging the power of the arts to strengthen the social fabric in our nation and heal our communities. I have been selected, as a Kohala-born artist, to help answer these questions about the place we live in a national effort to speak from here, Kohala. Your help with this project will aid in defining our community.