Jameel Arts & Health Lab co-hosts caucus before White House event
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On 29 January the Jameel Arts & Health Lab co-hosted an arts & health pre-summit caucus at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The event was a precursor to the 'Healing, bridging, thriving: A summit on arts and culture in our communities' conference hosted by the NEA and the White House Domestic Policy Council on 30 January and was focused on opportunities to fully integrate the arts and creative arts therapies in mainstream medicine and public health.
The pre-summit caucus brought together federal representatives from the Office of the Surgeon General, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Health and Human Services and leaders within the arts and health throughout the United States.
“This unprecedented national summit brought together leaders from across the arts, health, labor, education, and environmental protection, to share strategies to realise the full potential of the arts to cultivate dignity, hope, critical thinking and connection,” says Nisha Sajnani, co-founding co-director of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab. “This historic event affirmed the value of artists in every aspect of society and the importance of inspiration, imagination and creative expression in our everyday lives, in our schools, and other spaces of care.”
On January 29, the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, established as a collaboration between NYU Steinhardt, Culturunners, Community Jameel, and the World Health Organization, co-hosted an Arts & Health Pre-Summit Caucus at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The event was a precursor to the “Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities” conference on January 30, which was hosted by the NEA and the White House Domestic Policy Council.
The Pre-Summit Caucus and the daylong arts and culture conference followed an executive order made by President Joe Biden stating that the arts are “essential to the well-being, health, vitality, and democracy of our Nation.” The summit introduced a Presidential interagency task force to effectively integrate arts across ten federal departments and agencies.
“Under my Administration, the arts, the humanities, and museum and library services will be integrated into strategies, policies, and programs that advance the economic development, well-being, and resilience of all communities, especially those that have historically been underserved,” states the executive order from September 30, 2022. “[...] We will enhance access to high-quality arts and humanities education and programming with the aim of enabling every child in America to obtain the broad creative skills and enrichment vital to succeed.”
This historic event affirmed the value of artists in every aspect of society and the importance of inspiration, imagination, and creative expression in our everyday lives, in our schools, and other spaces of care.
Nisha Sajnani, Associate Professor and Director, Drama Therapy Program; Co-Director, Jameel Arts & Health Lab
“This unprecedented national summit brought together leaders from across the arts, health, labor, education, and environmental protection, to share strategies to realize the full potential of the arts to cultivate dignity, hope, critical thinking, and connection,”says Nisha Sajnani, co-founding co-director of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab and associate professor and director of the Drama Therapy program at NYU Steinhardt. “This historic event affirmed the value of artists in every aspect of society and the importance of inspiration, imagination, and creative expression in our everyday lives, in our schools, and other spaces of care.”