Working on the Spirit and the Mind: The Healing Power of the Arts

American Artscape | 2019 No. 1
Cover of NEA Arts magazine with a mask on it with the word strong and other embellishment

One of the masks created in the mask-making program in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which helped those traumatized by recent hurricanes. The program was based on a similar project developed by the NEA’s Creative Forces initiative. Photo by William Stelzer, St. John’s Art and Cultural Long-Term Recovery Group 

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About this Issue

At the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe the arts have a unique ability to heal. Our investments reflect this belief: Over the past decade, the Arts Endowment has awarded $4.85 million in healing arts projects, which range from improving cognition and socialization of older adults through songwriting workshops, to mitigating the invisible wounds of war in service members and veterans through creative arts therapy. 

But we also know the arts can be a source of social healing, bridging divides among neighbors, and providing solace for communities ravaged by trauma. This is why we historically offer support following natural and man-made disasters, and why many of our projects take place in communities touched by challenges such as poverty, violence, or addiction.

Whether we are talking about individuals or communities, physically or emotionally, we know the arts have an important role in healing across the spectrum. In this issue of NEA Arts, we look forward to sharing the many ways the Arts Endowment promotes the good health and well-being of our nation.

Mary Anne Carter
Acting Chairman
National Endowment for the Arts

Included in this Issue

A man in brown Navy uniform plays the piano and wears a harmonica on a neckstrap while another man looks on
Options for Healing
A Look at Creative Forces' Community Connections Projects
A yellow mask with "VI" painted on it in teal with gold palm fronds branching off the top and a teal hurricane eye on one side
Advancing Recovery
The Arts and Culture in Disaster Relief
A tattooed arm belonging to a suicide survivor
Ask the Question
A Public Health and Art Initiative to Help Prevent Suicide
Musicians playing for an elderly audience
Music as Medicine
The Power of Music in a Healthcare Setting
Performers line the steps of s stone building with art projections on it at night
Only Connect
Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide through Theater
A boy in a hospital bed talks to a man working with Godzilla action figures as they direct a stop-motion film about Godzilla together
Making Godzilla: Bringing the Arts to Pediatric Patients in Chicago
Audio Available
Three men and women outstretch their arms and give big smiles
True Story Theater: Building Community One Story at a Time
Audio Available