Creativity empowers individuals to take charge of their health and enhance their quality of life — from reducing stress and anxiety to fostering emotional resilience and strengthening social connections. Join us for an informative conversation on how the first Arts-on-Prescription pilot program in New Jersey uses the arts to build health equity. Launched by NJPAC in collaboration with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ and Rutgers University-Newark, this initiative aims to enhance health and well-being by increasing access to arts and culture. Our panel of experts from healthcare, arts, and community sectors will explore the profound impact of engaging in artistic activities on individual and community well-being. From reducing stress and anxiety to fostering emotional resilience and strengthening social connections, discover how creativity can empower individuals to take charge of their health and enhance their overall quality of life. Anyone involved in healthcare, public health, art, or community advocacy, will gain valuable insights into the intersection of creativity and health equity.

This session includes a spoken word performance by Alana Jackson, Director of Arts & Wellness at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla.

The panel will be moderated by Julia Hotz, Author of The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging (Simon & Schuster, 2024). 

Our panelists include:

Ketlen Alsbrook, Director for the City of Newark’s Department of Health & Community Wellness and CEO for the Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Center

Aly Maier Lokuta, Senior Director, Arts & Well-Being at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)

Theresa Tantay-Wilson, Director, Health Promotion Division at Rutgers University–Newark

Maureen Zimmer, LCSW, Clinical Supervisor, Behavioral Health at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ

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