(Photo Caption) "Canopy of Blooms" by Suzy Taekyung Kim. Photo by Etienne Frossard.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has proclaimed "Arts and Health Week" in Los Angeles County, from June 13 through June 18, 2022. The Board’s motion states: "From arts education for young people to arts programming for older adults, the arts have been proven to make individual lives better and strengthen communities. They improve health and well-being, and they improve cognitive skills. There is growing research and proven connections demonstrating that arts can make a positive impact on health across mental health, physical health, and public health, for all communities." The motion further recognizes LA County’s work at the intersection of arts and health, including LA Opera, and the County’s Departments of Arts and Culture, Mental Health, Public Health, and Health Services, and other partners.

Arts and Health Week events will be led by LA Opera, with acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming serving as an advisor, in collaboration with the LA County Department of Arts and Culture (Arts and Culture) and the World Health Organization. The week will feature a Summit on June 15 to increase visibility and learning on this intersectional work (10 am - 3 pm at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion). It will open with a presentation that highlights Arts and Culture’s work mobilizing the arts in healthcare, wellness, and recovery—all done through a lens of equity.

The Summit will then highlight examples of arts and health initiatives in LA County. The day’s first panel features three project examples: LA Care’s Shavonda Webber-Christmas will discuss funding at the intersection of arts and health; LA Commons’ Karen Mack will explore her work on the Healthy Culture Hub; Arts and Culture Arts Education Director, Denise Grande, will share the Creative Wellbeing approach to healing arts education engagement for systems-impacted youth and the adults who support them; and Heidi Duckler will present on her dance company’s multi-year residency at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital.

A conversation moderated by Arts and Culture Director Kristin Sakoda with County health leaders Dr. Barbara Ferrer (Director, Department of Public Health) and Dr. Christina Ghaly (Director, Department of Health Services) will then explore the role of arts, health, and equity. The afternoon session will feature a panel with Supervisor Solis, health advocate Renée Fleming, and Christopher Bailey, lead for the World Health Organization's Healing Arts Initiative, as well as a panel with arts and health agencies Plaza de la Raza, Koreatown Youth + Community Center, UCLA Health and LA Opera Connects, Able ARTS Work, and Lineage Performing Arts Center.

Special off-site events from organizations engaged in this work will also take place across Los Angeles County throughout the week. Summit attendees will be offered, while supplies last, tickets to LA Opera’s June 18 performance of The Brightness of Light, featuring Renée Fleming. More information about the summit and additional events throughout the week at LAOpera.org/Wellness.

"Our lives are enriched when everyone can experience the arts," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District. "And as our world emerges from the greatest health crisis in a generation, there is growing research to affirm what we’ve known for some time—that the arts can heal. I’m proud to lead the effort in proclaiming Arts and Health Week in the County of Los Angeles and look forward to continuing to advance efforts around cultural equity and inclusion so that all communities can benefit from the arts."

"In this moment in time, our collective physical, mental, and public health is critical—here in LA County, across the country, and around the world. I am excited to partner on this inaugural Arts and Health Week to shine a light on the power of the arts in wellbeing, recovery, and healing, to strengthen cross-sector arts partnerships, and increase recognition of arts and culture as a strategy for advancing equity," said Kristin Sakoda, Director of the Department of Arts and Culture. "Art in a hospital can speed recovery times, music can slow the aging of our brains, dance can support mobility for people with Parkinson’s disease, and cultural resources are statistically correlated with healthier communities. These are just a few examples of the power of the arts that everyone from funders to artists to health agencies can continue to build on for all the communities we serve."

About the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
The mission of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture is to advance arts, culture, and creativity throughout Los Angeles County. It provides leadership, services, and support in areas including grants and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations, countywide arts education initiatives, commissioning and care for civic art collections, research and evaluation, pathways to the creative economy, professional development, free community programs, and cross-sector creative strategies that address civic issues. For more information, visit lacountyarts.org