Overview
On April 4-5, 2019, Center Stage Arts in Health, in the Department of Humanities of the Penn State College of Medicine, hosted the inaugural Pennsylvania Arts in Health Symposium in Hershey, Pa. The purpose was to ignite a regional network as part of the National Organization for Arts in Health. As part of the network, we plan to delineate opportunities for artists to partner with healthcare centers. We are committed to our art community and hope to spur opportunities and networking for artists around the state.
The event consisted of an opening reception with welcome remarks provided by Karl Blischke, executive director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency that sponsored the symposium. Participants viewed an art installation by an employee artist. The following day was a full curriculum of presentations, interspersed with participatory visual and performing arts. The symposium culminated in networking dinner hosted by the Penn State College of Medicine Department of Humanities.
Symposium Objectives
Our network will positively affect the arts community in the commonwealth as we intend to raise awareness of the benefits of Arts in Health – a growing movement – and offer ways for people to engage and ignite programs in Pennsylvania. The symposium was geared to provide education for artists, healthcare providers, researchers, philanthropists and hospital administrators on the field of Arts in Health. The presentations covered program, funding and evaluation models; existing research in the field; conducting Arts in Health research; professionalization for artists; how the arts can address specific challenges, such as patient satisfaction and provider burnout.