Art & Well-Being: Toward A Culture of Health Launches!

The USDAC has just released our free guide for artists, creative organizers, healthcare providers, educators, funders, policy-makers, and communities responding to threats to well-being. Download it for free now. You will read that:

We envision a time when cultural interventions to improve personal and social health are commonplace and well-funded. Imagine not just a beautiful appearance for every hospital and clinic; not just musicians and storytellers on every ward to help people craft the narratives and move to the rhythms of their own healing. Go further and imagine never again having to argue for the necessity of beauty, connection, and purpose to well-being. Imagine the scales falling from policymakers’ eyes, allowing them to finally see that social justice heals. Imagine them investing real power and resources in that truth.

Art & Well-Being was created to answer a question absolutely key to such a culture shift: What can art do to nurture a culture of health? The guide’s answers cover three different approaches:

Prevention: Art can shine a light on essential truths about our individual and collective well-being.

Advocacy: Art can advocate for the rights of those facing health challenges.

Treatment: Art can engage, serve, partner, and support those living with health challenges.

Art & Well-Being cover 5-22-18.jpg

Art & Well-Being includes a framework for understanding a culture of health, one that responds equally to all individual and community needs. It starts with the social determinants of health—such as race, class, and gender—demonstrating how social justice is the single greatest factor in ensuring well-being. Consider these observations by Vicenç Navarro López, a professor who teaches both in the U.S. and Spain:

To quote one statistic directly from the [WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health 2009] report: “A girl born in Sweden will live 43 years longer than a girl born in Sierra Leone.” The mortality differentials among countries are enormous. But such inequalities also appear within each country, including the so-called rich or developed countries. Again, quoting from the report: “In Glasgow, an unskilled, working-class person will have a lifespan 28 years shorter than a businessman in the top income bracket in Scotland.” We could add here similar data from the US. In East Baltimore (where my university, The Johns Hopkins University, is located), a black unemployed youth has a lifespan 32 years shorter than a white corporate lawyer. Actually, as I have documented elsewhere (1), a young African American is 1.8 times more likely than a young white American to die from a cardiovascular condition. Race mortality differentials are large in the US, but class mortality differentials are even larger. In the same study, I showed that a bluecollar worker is 2.8 times more likely than a businessman to die from a cardiovascular condition. In the US as in any other country, the highest number of deaths could be prevented by interventions in which the mortality rate of all social classes was made the same as the mortality rate of those in the top income decile. These are the types of facts that the WHO Commission report and other works have documented. So, at this point, the evidence that health and quality of life are socially determined is undeniable and overwhelming.

How do we respond to these stark realities? Art & Well-Being features three detailed case studies, dozens of project descriptions, and hundreds of links to powerful arts projects, research resources, and detailed accounts for those who want to go even deeper. A section on right relationship covers ethics, partnerships, and much more.

For example, consider Blood Sugars, a three-year collaborative project between the University of the Witwatersrand and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) to explore the unique challenges presented by diabetes in South Africa, leading to a series of performances in summer 2017 across Johannesburg and Soweto in South Africa. Or Bed, a remarkable ongoing street theater project of Entelechy Arts in South London. Entelechy’s Older Peoples’ Drama Group that turns on interaction with an elderly woman in her nightgown, tucked under the covers of a bed standing in the middle of a shopping street. Or TimeSlips, infusing creativity into elder care through storytelling. Its founder Anne Basting is quoted in Art & Well-Being:

If we actually spent just one percent of money we spend on pharmaceutical research to find a cure for dementia—which we haven’t done very well at for decades now, and it’s doubtful, I believe, that we will—one percent of that research money, if that went towards programs that fostered a sense of meaning in purpose in people’s lives, then we’d be a lot further down the road in preventing dementia, and easing the symptoms of dementia.
Bed by Entelechy Arts' Older Peoples’ Drama Group

Bed by Entelechy Arts' Older Peoples’ Drama Group

Learn more about all of these and many other descriptions and links in Art & Well-Being, available for free download here. And please stay tuned for more information about other ways to learn and share experiences of arts work toward a culture of health, including a Citizen Artist Salon coming up this summer. When you download the guide, you’ll automatically receive updates.

 

Amp Up Your Local Organizing: USDAC Outpost FAQs

People across the U.S. have told us they want easy ways to connect locally through the USDAC for support, sharing, and collaboration. That’s why we started a national network of local USDAC Outposts. An Outpost is a group of four or more individuals committed to enacting USDAC values in their community. The next deadline to apply is Friday, 25 May. More info here.

If you’ve been thinking about starting an Outpost in your community but have some questions first, read on for answers. If after reading these FAQs you want to know more or talk things over, we’d be happy to schedule a 30-minute call with you!

  • I don’t know three other people in my area who want to start a USDAC Outpost. How do I connect with other Citizen Artists in my area to start one?

Hold a founding meeting: invite friends, neighbors, colleagues, allies, and acquaintances to imagine and plan what your Outpost could be. And remember, start out as you mean to go on! Invite a core of people that reflects your commitment to inclusion. Extend invitations to people of all ages, races, genders, identities, abilities, and orientations.

You can find more tips for forming your Outpost, including a suggested agenda for holding a founding meeting, in the Outpost Toolkit.  

  • I’m not sure I’m ready to apply by the current deadline. How often does the USDAC hold an open a call for Outposts?

The best time to start is now! But if you can’t meet the current deadline, the USDAC opens applications for new Outposts three times a year, in  October, February, and June.

Charleston Outpost

Charleston Outpost

  • What kind of time commitment is involved once an Outpost is established?

On average, Outpost organizers spend a few hours per month on Outpost work/play. We’ve provided detailed information on activities and time needs for your jumpstart project—three model project ideas and a way to create your own! We can help tailor your Outpost plans to available time and person-power, so don’t be shy about asking: hello@usdac.us.

  • Will starting an Outpost take time away from the important cultural organizing work we’re already doing in our community?

No. Outposts are here to amplify and connect what you already do and to give you access to USDAC tools and learning experiences that support your work.

  • An Outpost already exists in my area but I don’t know how to join. Can the USDAC connect me?

Yes! All current USDAC Outposts can be found here, and there’s contact info for each one. It may take more than one Outpost to serve larger communities too, so feel free to explore starting one in your neighborhood or with a special focus. If you have additional questions please reach out to us at hello@usdac.us.

  • Does the USDAC provide funding for Outposts?

USDAC does not currently provide substantial direct funding. We do provide a batch of USDAC swag, a web listing, and all the technical assistance you need to boost your Outpost’s fundraising efforts.

Once your Outpost has completed your 6-month jumpstart project you’ll be eligible to apply for a micro-grant.

Harrisonburg Outpost

Harrisonburg Outpost

  • I see that Outposts are required to do a jumpstart project within their first six months, I don’t know what kind of project to take on. Can the USDAC help me figure it out?

Yes! You’ll find ideas and recommendations for jumpstart projects in the Outpost Toolkit. The USDAC also has other resources and toolkits to inspire your collective action, but if you don’t see something that fits, we’re here to help!

  • I’m part of an existing group or organization that’s aligned with USDAC values. Can we become an Outpost?

The USDAC has many Affiliates—existing organizations, coalitions, collectives, and networks aligned with USDAC values. Affiliates also get listed on the USDAC site, invited to join in Citizen Artist Salons and Actions, and linked into our social media and storytelling efforts. Check out the criteria and the simple application process here, and if you’re not clear whether becoming an Affiliate or Outpost is right for your group, feel free to get in touch:  hello@usdac.us. We can set up a call to discuss it if you wish.

  • Do Outposts have to be U.S.-based?

At this time, yes. The USDAC’s focus is domestic. We’re exploring connecting some type of international network in the future, but that will take time. In the meantime, we love being in touch with colleagues and allies abroad, so please drop us a note so we can get acquainted. And feel free to use our Toolkits, Guides, and information wherever you are!