A documentary starring one of our first patients and Musicians-in-Residence, Cassie, is being filmed in 2024 and we couldn't be more excited to talk about it with her and its producer and director, Josh Cavazos.
Learn about the health benefits of intentional laughter with the Laughter Ambassador herself, Cathy Nesbitt! Connect with Cathy and sign up for her FREE Tuesday Laughter Workshop at cathysclub.com
Golf tournaments, snowmen in Texas, shopping to support, and and patients giving Hearts Need Art a score of 100 out of 100! Donate Shop Top Golf Fundraiser
We're celebrating SEVEN YEARS of creating moments of joy, self-expression, and connection with people going through life-altering health challenges. Don't forget that #GivingTuesday is tomorrow, November 28th! heartsneedart.org/donate
Hear from Hearts Need Art's Program Coordinators, Surveyors, Director of Philanthropy, and CEO! New program locations! Hearts Need Art's anniversary! Giving Tuesday! Halloween costumes and parties! To become a donor, please visit heartsneedart.org/donate
Matthew Perlman uses the arts for health by creating a community while also preventing isolation. The pandemic forced many artists to paint alone in their small studio spaces and apartments. Artishouse was created to provide these individuals with a space to come together, preventing isolation, while also encouraging creative collaboration and community. He uses art and his studio space to bring other creatives together and make sure there is a safe space for artists to collaborate and connect w...
Listen in on a Hearts Need Art staff meeting. Hear stories from the hospital, organizational updates, learn about how you can partner with us, and more! The Big Give
📢 New Resource Alert! 🎨🩺 What if art museums, theaters, and nature trails could be integral parts of your health journey? Introducing the revolutionary guide: "Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities." This guide is your roadmap to creating arts on prescription programs, where healthcare and social service providers can "prescribe" activities like art classes, park passes, dance lessons, and visits to cultural venues. Discover real stories showcasing the positive impact of merg...
In this episode, Vocab is on-location with Danielle Campbell Steans, Director of the San Antonio Ballet School. Danielle shares how she began dancing at age four and the career she has built through many years of performing and teaching. Underscoring all of her work is her commitment to making dance accessible through community outreach efforts and scholarships. Of note is her work with at-risk youth at Boys & Girls Clubs in San Antonio which earned her a full-tuition scholarship to attend A...
Joaquin's life experiences and professional practices are vast! Born in the barrio of San Felipe in Del Rio, Joaquin Muerte has strong roots in activism, community organizing, and music from several formative experiences during childhood. He started his professional music career 20 years ago in San Antonio as a street performer playing percussion and guitar and is a founding member of many local bands that compose original music: Los Nahuatlatos, Eddie and the Valiants, the San Antunes, and his ...
Zach Jewell is the Founder/CEO of Into the Dark Blue, a nonprofit organization focused on men's mental wellness. Zach has always had a passion for bringing people together and creating a positive encouraging space. He'll share about the culmination of his experiences and passions that has led him to creating community and advocating for mental health through the arts. Zach will also guide us through a writing exercise the helps us understand what we're feeling in a visual and written format (all...
It's hard to believe some of the transformational stories Kim Hamilton, Program Coordinator, shares with us in this month's Hearts Need Art highlight episode. Whether subtle or drastic, Kim shares some of the ways our recent projects and initiatives directly impacted the people who participated in our programs. Large window murals, bedside art, portrait projects, line dancing, conference art projects...get the scoop and get inspired to consider that you are capable of much more than you may thin...
**Content advisory: This episode may contain sensitive topics that can be difficult to discuss, including suicide. If you need help or support, please call 988, or visit www.988lifeline.org.** Jordan Lally is a singer-songwriter, meditation teacher and mental health advocate. Through a unique combination of storytelling, original music and guided meditation, Jordan promotes a proactive approach to mental health. He tours nationally along with his band the Big Infinite sharing their music and mes...
Special guest, Jed Craddock , joins us for our Valentine's Day episode! Jed's musical sound can best be described as soul/roots/pop. Jed’s dynamic voice serves as a bridge that connects many musical genres. While the vibe may shift from tender acoustic singer-songwriter to heavy hitting trap/dance track, his music maintains a cohesive feel while giving space to an array of different musical voices. Hear the title track from his band's new EP, Runnin' on Empty and the story behind it; write haiku...
Judy Seaman started Video Memoir Creations as a way to capture the essence of people's stories through dialogue, reflection, and film. She shares what inspired her to start creating memoirs, guides one of our hosts through the memoir discussion process, and provides tips for how you can start recording important history or personal stories (no special equipment needed). Judy will also explain the value of reminiscence especially with aging: the ability to recall and reflect helps older adults wi...
We're one month into the New Year, and it may be a good time to check in with what your plans are for the months ahead. As Hearts Need Art is planning and growing, we're taking a minute to welcome our two newest board members and hear about Hearts Need Art's expansion into more healthcare communities. Vocab shares a growth-themed writing prompt paired with Catherine's tree drawing tutorial (and yes, our Board Members do the projects, too!). You really only need a pencil and paper to clear out so...
Content Warning: This episode may contain references to domestic abuse and trauma. Allison Body is a certified Health Coach and Therapeutic Art Life Coach as well as a visual artist and survivor of domestic abuse. In this episode, Allison shares how art has been key to working through trauma and how she combines health coaching and art to help clients manage stress, find self-expression, and visualize goals. Allison also guides us through a visualization-based art activity to help define your de...
Reinfred Addo is a speech-language pathologist, writer, and graphic/visual artist. He has written health-related poems and stories, conducted memory journals with his speech therapy patients, and selected other people's health-related poems for a literary journal that he edits. In this episode, hear about his journey to becoming a speech therapist and writer, how he incorporates writing with patients into their treatment and how it can aid the healing process. He also guides us through a writing...
Come make some art with Andrea Nelson , former pre-school special education teacher turned full-time artist and content creator! Her short art videos on Instagram and TikTok are for people who may be intimidated by art or have no artistic experience at all. Her goal is to help people unlock their creativity through art that feels doable and fun. In this episode, you'll hear about... her "origin story" art as a process vs. a product the evolution of her art-making and how it's connected to mental...
We're kicking off 2023 by visiting with Rashard Dobbins, Executive Director of Class Act Detroit, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower youth via music and arts education through the elements of hip-hop. Topics include: the power of community, Class Act Detroit's origins, mission, and vision racial healing, equity, and generational change the concept of reaching to teach the new headquarters of Class Act Detroit and how you can support this movement with time, talent, or treasure ...
Bring a pen and paper to this episode with Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, new co-host of Arts for the Health of It! Andrea is a San Antonio native and the first Black Poet Laureate of San Antonio, 2020-2023. Her dynamic style is a fusion of poetry, hip hop, and R&B. She is an award-winning poet and a teaching artist who enjoys facilitating workshops nationwide. Andrea discusses how she started writing and making music the therapeutic and recreational uses of creative writing and self-expression t...
'𝕿𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖔𝖓! Today, we present to you "𝔸 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕤 ℕ𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝔸𝕣𝕥 ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕕𝕒𝕪" You'll hear classic holiday songs, be able to create art with your loved one, listen to stories, and have the chance to help bring arts-in-health services to more hospital beds next year. PLUS Watch a dream come true for one cancer patient, thanks to the San Antonio Symphony (no spoilers!) If you enjoy the show, please consider going to heartsneedart.org to help us continue providing moments of jo...
Rita Ezenwa-Okoro is a Creative Culturist, Performance Activist, & Communications Expert who believes in creative arts as a force for human development. She uses the arts to navigate the journey of difficult emotions in times of challenging events. In this episode, you'll hear about her connection to the arts from a young age and her journey to creating the Street Project Foundation her book, Doing. Being. Becoming: For the love of the creative arts youth programs offered by Street Project F...
Our guest this week believes anything is possible when we come together as a community. Jason Sotiris is the creator of Supertee , a medical garment designed for children that is functional in its ease of use during medical treatment and in its ability to help kids feel empowered while facing major health challenges. He’ll share how his daughter’s cancer diagnosis and treatment transformed his life as a parent, person, and professional, and how imaginative play + creativity in the face of advers...
One of our big, birthday wishes is that arts in health becomes part of the standard of care. As you'll hear in this episode, Gracie told Constanza years ago, "We need to remember the reasons WHY we're alive as much as we need the things that keep us alive." Your support ensures more joy, self-expression, and connection with patients and caregivers. Text SIX to 53-555, or visit givebutter.com/hna-birthday to wish us a Happy Birthday! Visit with Constanza Roeder, Hearts Need Art Founder and Chief ...
Kate Powell is the Executive Director of Tidewater Arts Outreach (TAO) in Norfolk, VA. Their mission is to bring joy to older adults and those living in isolating circumstances and enhance their well-being through creative engagement with the arts. Key topics Kate discusses include the following: the loneliness epidemic the types of art engagement offered in their community the importance of age-appropriate programming how you can use your own talent to address the loneliness epidemic Learn more...
Amy Latta is an artist and author who is passionate about helping others to discover and express their creativity. She has written five books on hand lettering, a creativity journal, and a book all about how to doodle. In this episode, Amy walks us through some of her doodle tutorials from her Doodle Everything book, shares about her creative process and how her books evolved, and where you might find some secretly autographed copies of her books. Learn more about Amy and purchase her new book a...
A longtime advocate for comics as a medium for serious storytelling, Sam Hester is a contributor to comics journalism, comics in academia and the graphic medicine movement. She writes and draws comics about life in her hometown of Calgary, in the Treaty 7 region of Alberta, Canada.Particularly special about this episode is Sam sharing about her experience as a caregiver for her mother. Sam uses her artistry with images and words to communicate effectively with healthcare providers so that her mo...
Lisa is a proud wife and mother of two boys, ages 7 and 5, who lives just north of Boston, Massachusetts. She is an almost four-year Triple Negative Breast Cancer survivor and a former elementary school teacher who now devotes her time to helping other young adults who are facing a cancer diagnosis. She does this through her work as the Marketing and Communications Manager for the Steven G. Cancer Foundation and Elephants and Tea Magazine, and through her podcast the "Don't Call it a Journey Pod...
We're visiting with Hannah Garrison, one of our artists-in-residence. Hannah works both virtually and in-person with patients at their bedsides. Using the arts as meditation and a very general form of physical therapy helped her not only cope with a diagnosis of MS, but to also become a better caregiver. Being honest about her diagnosis to herself and to complete strangers is not only effective medicine for her but for them as well. Inside hospitals, she creates large window paintings for patien...
