The Healing Arts; New Pathways to Health

Created in 2004, The Healing Arts: New Pathways to Health is a regional arts and healing program developed by the Vermont Arts Exchange, in partnership with the Massachusetts Cultural Council and a consortium of arts and healthcare organizations in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. This unique program uses the arts as an innovative new treatment method for patients living with chronic disabling diseases. Artist residencies and intergenerational workshops integrate technology, music, theater, dance, filmmaking, ceramics, painting, photography, and printmaking into patient care, staff training, and wellness programs.

The Healing Arts: New Pathways to Health is a collaborative effort involving artists, health administrators, and faculty and students from universities throughout New England. Participating healthcare sites include Tewksbury Hospital, in Tewksbury, MA; Crotched Mountain, in Greenfield, NH; and the Vermont Veterans Home, United Counseling Services and the Bennington School, all in Bennington, VT.

The Healing Arts Initiative is supported by grants from Jane's Trust, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Kenneth B. Schwartz Center, the New Hampshire State Council on The Arts and private donations.

In 2005, the Initiative was recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies with the National Accessibility Leadership Award. In 2007, the Arts and Healing Program at Tewksbury Hospital received the Department of Mental Health Distinguished Service Award in Rehabilitation and Recovery from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Health and Human Services for its creative and collaborative approach to rehabilitation recovery, focusing on the arts and empowering citizens with mental illness to find their voice and discover their talents.