Immersive art projects can harness the power of creativity to reflect on cultural diversity. Center Stage Arts in Health in the Penn State College of Medicine Department of Humanities called upon the creativity of local artists to develop a set of multicultural coloring pages to share across the health system.
“Art has the potential to spread messages of inclusion in ways that sometimes are even more meaningful than statements or policy,” says Claire de Boer, director of the program. “These coloring pages, created by diverse professional artists in our Penn State Health-served communities, remind colorers of all ages and backgrounds that we care about the health and well-being of everyone.”
Center Stage created numerous, diverse art kits during the pandemic to encourage patients and employees to use different mediums as wellness activities. Self-contained kits take approximately one hour to complete.
Lynette Chappell-Williams, vice president and chief diversity officer for Penn State Health Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion says, “Our health system’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is most effective and contributes to patient quality when it is addressed holistically, to include all aspects of the patient experience. Providing patients with an opportunity to express themselves through art can contribute to their healing, and providing these artistic opportunities through a diversity lens creates a greater sense of connection for our diverse patients and provides all patients an opportunity to learn more about other cultures.”
Artists of diverse backgrounds created images to reflect our patient and 
employee population, and also teach an aspect of a culture. Lancaster-based Artist Abner Gonzalez designed urban themed images. Grateful to have been asked to artistically shed light upon an integral part of his youth, he says, “These images far surpass the significance of a coloring page. You see, these are actually serving as a window allowing you to see some of the joys of another’s life. With that in mind, as people take upon themselves the task of adding color to the image, I pray they’ll experience a piece of that same joy.”
