Throughout history, the arts have played an important role in the human experience.
From ancient civilizations to modern society, the arts - like dance, music, writing, and painting - weren’t just about entertainment. Art connects us with others, help us process and express emotions, and even help us heal. In fact, the link between the arts and health has been around for centuries, but it’s only in recent years that we’ve started to recognize its full potential as a complementary or alternative approach to traditional medicine.
The arts in all of their modalities can improve our physical and mental health, amplify our ability to prevent, manage, or recover from disease challenges, enhance brain development in children, build more equitable communities, and foster wellbeing through multiple biological systems. – NeuroArts Blueprint
As we step back to see the bigger picture, we realize that engaging in the arts is intricately linked to social determinants of health. The arts help build community, encourage healthy habits, and manage stress. They also combat social isolation, bringing people together in meaningful ways.
Whether through dance, music, painting, or theatre, the evidence is clear: participating in creative activities can greatly enhance our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. The arts offer a gentle and inclusive approach to health and wellbeing. As we move forward, integrating the arts into public health strategies will help create healthier, more connected communities.
Since our foundation in 1995, the Bakken Center has been committed to exploring how arts impact wellbeing. We hope you will take our community or academic courses, discover with us through research, and explore your creative side with us!
For-Credit Academic Courses in Arts and Wellbeing
Arts and wellbeing are intrinsically woven throughout many of the courses offered by the Bakken Center. For three decades, students and lifelong learners have been able to explore creative arts and wellbeing through many of our courses.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 results
| Course ID | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CSPH 1000-001 | Healing Words: Reading, Literature, and Wellbeing | 1 |
| CSPH 1202 | Music for Wellbeing in Times of Stress and Anxiety | 1 |
| CSPH 5555 | Introduction to Body and Movement-based Therapies | 2 |
| CSPH 5561 | Overview of the Creative Arts in Health and Healing | 2 |
| CSPH 5601 | Music, Health and Healing | 2 |
| CSPH 5602 | Healing Stories: Narrative and Wellbeing | 2 |
| CSPH 5631 | Healing Imagery I | 2 |
The NeuroArts Network at the University of Minnesota
The NeuroArts Blueprint defines neuroarts as the transdisciplinary study of how the arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the body, brain, and behavior and how this knowledge is translated into specific practices that advance health and wellbeing.
The NeuroArts Network at the University of Minnesota was established by Center director Dr. Mary Jo Kreitzer and Dr. Hubert Lim, director of the Bakken Medical Devices Center, to identify and connect University faculty and staff interested in the intersection of the arts, wellbeing, and neuroscience. Members of the network share relevant news and information with each other.
In fall of 2024, an ongoing series of NeuroArts Network Lightning Talks was launched. These talks provide opportunities for members to learn about research projects underway at the University. Open dialogue follows these brief presentations so that members may connect and be inspired by each other. Collaborations highlighted have included a biomedical engineering research lab paired with a dance company and a psychiatrist working with the Weisman Art Museum, studying adolescent and young adult mental health and the arts.
The Network is an exciting new way to disseminate information and resources that will foster collaboration across the University and beyond.
Are you affiliated with the University of Minnesota and interested in neuroarts? Join the network.
Community Programming and Collaboration
For decades the Center has highlighted the arts as integral to wellbeing through our nationally-renowned Wellbeing Series speakers, virtual and in-person community programs and workshops, online resources, and through community collaborations.
The Center has recently launched Waking the Oracle, an ongoing project that creates immersive experiences activating intergenerational community wisdom sharing, healing, and wellbeing through music, dance, storytelling, participatory arts, and dialogue. These events are offered in a variety of formats, including live, in-person productions, broad-reaching online events, and smaller, intimate in-person gatherings, to create space for healing and connection within the University and broader community.
Through the Wellbeing Series, we have showcased renowned speakers including medical musician Andrew Schulman and Susan Magsamen, founder and executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and more.
We’ve collaborated with renowned nature photographer and Center Senior Fellow Craig Blacklock to produce Wellscapes, a series of beautiful videos tapping into the healing power of nature, offering the opportunity to watch the videos in silence or with any combination of music, nature sounds, and gentle guiding.
The Center has collaborated with the Minnesota Orchestra to support community wellbeing through initiatives including Mindfulness and Music, an annual experiential series of intimate mindful listening events, and a full concert event and supporting online resources titled Music and Healing, supporting the Orchestra’s goal of enhancing health and wellbeing through music by collaborating with experts for in-person and digital experiences.
The Center has collaborated with the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) on a series of creative wellbeing engagements supporting employee wellbeing, including a sound garden installation, an immersive environment where Mia staff could explore an ecosystem of layered nature sounds. The partnership with Mia has allowed the Center to demonstrate how artistic experiences can support emotional and mental health and wellbeing. The Mia-Bakken Center collaboration provides a blueprint for how art, inclusion, and wellbeing can transform workplaces. Mia and the Center have plans to explore opportunities to share the museum’s spaces and collection to improve wellbeing with the University’s and broader communities.