administrators and artists

Opportunities to make art give us so much to learn and live for, at all stages of life. This core belief animates all the work we do. We amplify creativity, encourage divergent thinking, and help people acquire artistic skill and techniques – because we know that this counteracts the depression, isolation, and burnout that accompany necessary interactions of patients, staff, and families within healthcare spaces.

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity … the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being,” according to the founding principles of the World Health Organization. The WHO further believes that "... including the arts in health care delivery has been shown to support positive clinical outcomes for patients while also supporting other stakeholders, including health care providers, the patient’s loved ones and the wider community. Benefits are seen across several markers, including health promotion, the management of health conditions and illness, and disease prevention."

The fields of art-in-healthcare and creative aging integrate visual, literary, and performing arts into a variety of settings to enhance health and well-being in diverse institutional and community contexts in the hope that the expression of experience and emotion through art can contribute to our complete overall well-being. There is now an overwhelming body of evidence demonstrating that participation in the arts can improve health outcomes and increase quality of life. The Creative Center's programs are an equalizer to access, providing our high-quality instruction, learning resources, and high-quality art-making materials to healthcare and community organizations in New York City and across the United States.

The Creative Center has been training artists from across the United States to work in a variety of healthcare settings based on the principles of our 2002 book, Artists-in-Residence: The Creative Center's Approach to Arts in Healthcare.