Community support for the arts

A number of hospitals have arts programs for patients, their families, and even caregivers. The main purpose of these programs is to aid in the physical and emotional healing of their patients.

How is that possible? The arts are all about stories — sometimes small, always meaningful. The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They enable and inspire us—fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty. The arts bring us joy, help us express our values, and build bridges between cultures. The arts are also a fundamental component of a healthy community — strengthening it socially, educationally, and economically—benefits that persist even in difficult social and economic times.

Here are some of the proven benefits of the arts:

• Arts improve individual well-being; 
  
• Arts unify communities; 
  
• Arts improve academic performance; 
  
• Arts drive tourism and revenue to local businesses; 
  
• Arts spark creativity and innovation; and
  
• Arts have social impact.

Putting art at the heart of a community enhances our lives by stirring hard-to-articulate feelings and inspiring us to look beyond what we believe to be possible and imagine a more vibrant, exciting future. It also reminds us that we’re all creative beings — and that whether we’re making art or music, telling stories or sharing in the experience, we’re all connected.

So how do we get our community to care about the arts so that it may reap the benefits?  I get the impression that my community is more interested in garage sales than art? What do you think?

Here is the latest painting that I'm working on. Once completed, I hope to frame this one in an old window frame. It will take a while until I can strip it since there are many projects to do in the garden and it's been too hot for paint stripper.

Have a great day

Danielle