On Monday, the Woodruff Arts Center—together with the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art—announced the launch of its Community NeuroArts Coalition in partnership with the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative, a collaboration between Johns Hopkins International Arts + Mind Lab and the Aspen Institute. 

The Arts + Health Laboratory is one of four pioneer coalitions across the United States, including New York City; Kansas City, Mo.; and Palm Beach, Fla. The NeuroArts Blueprint plans to announce additional city- and statewide coalitions this month.

 Bringing together universities, healthcare providers, research organizations, and other community partners, the Arts + Health Laboratory explores and demonstrates—through neuroscience and evidence-based research—the transformative effect the arts can have on healing and energizing the mind and body.

“We’ve always known the transformative power of the arts,” said Hala Moddelmog, President and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center. “Now we have the science to prove it. With this knowledge, the Arts + Health Laboratory will initiate partnerships and research to address critical needs in our community—like illiteracy, loneliness, and the mental health epidemic in young people—ultimately increasing awareness of and access to the health benefits of the arts.”

The kickoff for the Arts + Health Laboratory featured a full day of programming at the Arts Center, beginning with Rowen Foundation’s Convergence Summit and an Academic Network Convening, culminating in an official announcement of the coalition where more than 500 people gathered for an evening program dedicated to the transformative power of the arts and health. New York Times best-selling author and founder of Johns Hopkins University’s International Arts + Mind Lab, Susan Magsamen, MAS, headlined the program. Magsamen, Co-Director of the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative, delivered her address, NeuroArts: How the Arts Impact Body, Brain, and Spirit, explaining the science on how engaging with the arts physically changes our bodies and brains for the better.

Performances by Adrian Tyndall, MD, MPH, Cameron McCrae, and Holt McCarley gave attendees a real-time experience in understanding the neuroscience of the arts as performer and experiencer. Two panels rounded out the program focused on how the arts can shape the developing brain and help repair effects of the aging brain. These panels highlighted the coalition's core purpose: promoting the arts as a tool to advance community health.

Leaders from major partner institutions in Atlanta, including Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, The Howard School, Performance Hypothesis, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Artparticipated in the discussions. The evening was moderated by Moddelmog.

NeuroArts is the transdisciplinary study of how the arts can measurably change the body, brain, and behavior through evidence-based research, anchored in neuroscience. The goals of Community NeuroArts Coalitions are to bring interdisciplinary partners together to explore how the arts can help grow a child's developing brain; repair the degenerating brain; strengthen the productivity of our workforce; prevent and manage disease; and improve our mental and physical health. Through the Arts + Health Laboratory, the Woodruff Arts Center aims to raise awareness surrounding this emerging field, build meaningful partnerships, sustain funding, design and advance research, and inform policy.

To learn more about NeuroArts initiatives at the Woodruff Arts Center and to join our coalition, visit woodruffcenter.org/neuroarts.