Take a Break From Burnout

Sloka Iyengar, PhD has published her work on the use of hastas (hand gestures) in the traditional Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam for creative aging. This paper came out in the Journal of Medical Humanities!

You can access the full-text of the paper here.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center 

Project Consultant, Arts and Wellness 

Scope of Work 

May 2021 

About NJPAC: 

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists, artist citizens and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted 10 million visitors (including more than 1.8 million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. njpac.org. 

About the initiative: 

It is well established that the arts have an essential role to play in fostering individual and community health. As the state’s largest provider of performing arts programs and arts education and Newark’s anchor cultural institution, NJPAC is developing an initiative that ties the arts to healthy living, wellness, and preventative care. 

NJPAC’s real estate master plan for our downtown Newark campus and planned approximately 60,000 square foot Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center (to open in 2024) offer new opportunities to strategically and comprehensively bring the arts and health/wellness together, extend our mission as an anchor cultural institution, and amplify the work of our community health partners. The arts can be a tool for healthy living and self-expression that we can leverage, with the expertise of statewide health partners, to foster a culture of health and wellbeing in our community. 

NJPAC seeks a Project Consultant to work with us to develop a vision for this initiative over a two to three-month period commencing in May 2021. 

Click here for more information and to apply.

The Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) in Austin, Texas is currently hiring for two positions. Click on the links below for more information:

Director of Programs

My MusicRx In-Hospital Specialist

Snow City Arts Development and Communications Internship

Part time (10 hours/week), temporary (June 3, 2024- August 23, 2024, dates flexible), non-exempt
Hybrid; some evening and weekend work may be required for events; $17/hr

About Snow City Arts

Snow City Arts (SCA) inspires and educates children and youth in hospitals through the arts. SCA provides one-on-one
and small group instruction in the visual arts, creative writing, theater, music, dance, and media arts to patients at Rush
University Children’s Hospital, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and Children’s Hospital University of
Illinois. SCA’s curricula in arts education are steeped in studio practices and benchmarked on state and national learning
standards. Student workshops are assessed and documented in a customized database and an extensive portfolio
archive. SCA works in close partnership with Chicago Public Schools and suburban school districts. With permission,
student’s learning outcomes and portfolios are sent to their schools in order to generate credit assignments for work
completed with SCA. The SCA team includes an administrative staff of 6; an artistic staff of 7 part-time Teaching Artists
(TA’s); and some interns and volunteers.

SCA is a small but dedicated, efficient, and creative organization with broad reach. Our team values an “all hands on
deck” approach balanced with a commitment to wellness. The ideal candidate for this internship has the ability to
respond to shifting priorities with enthusiasm and integrate into a role that supports multiple aspects of development,
communications, and administrative projects. Snow City Arts is committed to generating a work environment that
centers learning, equity, and inclusivity. A cohort member of Enrich Chicago, SCA is committed to advancing systemic
change in the arts and is building a vision and framework for anti-racist work across the organization.

Summary of position

Snow City Arts is seeking an intern interested in gaining hands-on experience in fundraising and marketing at an arts
education nonprofit that works across all creative genres in hospitals. The Development and Communications Intern will
support the administrative staff with a variety of tasks, including our annual fundraising event Gallery Night. In addition
to project work, interns may attend staff meetings and become an integral part of the Snow City Arts team. The
Development and Communications Intern will obtain a view into the inner workings of a small arts education nonprofit,
gain office experience, and learn practical skills, including juggling priorities and deadlines.

Development and Communications Intern Responsibilities

The following is not a comprehensive list of projects, and interns may not necessarily work on all of these projects.
Specific projects will be determined by staff in collaboration with the intern.

● Provide support for our 2024 Gallery Night which includes but is not limited to:
○ Managing silent auction solicitations, donations, packaging, and other coordination
○ Supporting invitation mailings
○ Supporting data entry, tracking, acknowledgement letters, and other administrative coordination
● Provide support for marketing efforts including:
○ Social media: planning, writing, designing, and posting on various platforms
○ Monthly email newsletter
○ Content creation
○ Marketing data tracking and reporting
● Prepare acknowledgement letters and manage Development data entry and reporting
● Support mailings and other annual/semi-annual campaign initiatives
● Assist in the production of special events such as Board events
● Other Development and Marketing tasks as needed (graphic design asset management, emails, etc)

Priority Skills and Experience

The ideal candidate will have a combination of the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and
characteristics. Snow City Arts will consider candidates who do not meet every single requirement.

Qualifications:
● Strong interest in nonprofit development (fundraising), administration, arts in health and/or arts education fields
● Flexible and adaptable to a fast-paced environment with high expectations
● Excellent verbal and written communication skills
● Exceptional data management and computer skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Google Docs, Sheets,
and Drive
● Inquiry-based orientation to problem solving and gathering information.
● Active listener with the ability to synthesize information and translate into action plans.
● Superior organizational skills and excellent follow through
Desired Skills and Experience:
● Passion for working directly with youth and families, especially youth and families who identify as ALAANA,
queer or LGBTQI, newcomers, first-generation immigrants, and people with disabilities.
● Familiarity with the public school and arts education landscape of Chicago.

Compensation and Work Environment

This is a part-time, non-exempt position with some evening and weekend work required. The rate for this role is
$17/hour.

Snow City Arts Administrative team currently works in a hybrid work environment. We anticipate working with the
Development and Communications intern remotely from home, as well as occasionally together at our office space at
Rush University Medical Center and/or at other locations for events, to be communicated weekly. A schedule will be
determined around events, other needs on-site such as printing or access to items, and according to the intern’s and
staff’s availability.

Snow City Arts is an equal opportunity employer. Snow City Arts is committed to building a culturally diverse and
pluralistic team. ALAANA-identified individuals, trans and gender nonconforming people, people from poor and working
class backgrounds and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates should send a resume to employment@snowcityarts.org. Applications will be reviewed and
candidates will be contacted for a Zoom interview on a rolling basis. Priority will be given to candidates who apply by
April 15, 2024.

The MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio is seeking an Art Therapist in their Arts in Medicine Department.

Summary:

Provides comprehensive clinical art therapy services in a medical setting, including assessment and treatment under the Scope of Practice of the Certification Board for Art Therapists. Works collaboratively with the clinical care team and assists the Arts in Medicine Department, as needed, to develop and evaluate art therapy programs, initiatives and research. Patients may include the pediatric through the geriatric population with an emphasis on trauma informed practices. Upholds the mission, vision, values, and customer service standards of The MetroHealth System.

Qualifications:

Required: Master’s Degree in Art Therapy from an approved American Art Therapy Association (AATA) program. Credentialed as a Registered Art Therapist (ATR). Must complete Board Certification (ATR-BC) within nine months of hire. Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, and art skills. Preferred: Experience in a hospital or medical setting. Board Certification (ATR-BC) Physical Demands: Standing and walking at least 75% of the time; sitting less than 25% of the time. Hand and finger dexterity and reaching with arms and hands at least 75% of the time. Pushing and pulling at least 75% of the time. Lifting 5-25 pounds, carrying 5-10 pounds and pushing up to 75 pounds. See in the normal visual range with or without correction. Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.

Learn more and apply here.

We are excited to announce that this year attendees will be able to earn CEUs at the NOAH conference. The Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo offers a Certificate of Completion that attendees can fill out and submit to their professional organizations!

AIA Credits: For Credit: Obtain the AIA CEU form at Registration. Keep track of the sessions you attend by checking the boxes on the form and turn in your form to the information desk at the end of the show. 

IDCEC Credits: For credit: obtain the IDCEC form at the Registration. Have your session(s) stamped by room monitor as you leave each session and then submit your conference card to IDCEC via their website at www.idcec.org.

Certificate of Completion: For a certificate of completion obtain a Generic CEU form at Registration. Have your session(s) stamped by the room monitor as you leave each session and then turn in your form to the information desk at the end of the show. You will be emailed a certificate of completion within 2 weeks of the event.

Please Note: Attendees may earn 16.75 continuing education units by attending one conference session in every time bank offered and a facility tour.

Find more information about our 2018 Conference here.

“Art has power that flows beyond mere understanding.  It nourishes and sustains…indeed, some call it ‘food for the soul.’”

At For Love & Art’s genesis, I penned these words seemingly out of nowhere.  I speak it to people and gauge their reactions.  There’s an ancient and profound recognition here.  People are inspired and intuitively concur.

I am a hospice volunteer and practitioner of therapeutic art.

One of my hospice patients, “Sammy,” died last night.  I knew him a little, but I knew him a lot.  On our first meeting (for me, often awkward—so many small-talk visits before a rich relationship arises, from which intimate conversations spring), Sammy was bedridden for two weeks and clutched his bedcovers up around his chin. He seemed so very weak, distant, and frail…I thought he might pass at any moment.

I happened to have a Virtual Museum ArtBook with me and I asked him if he liked art.  He said, “sure.”  We went to The Met, digitally.

One after another, beautiful images from among the greatest artists in the world emerged: the majestic Matterhorn at dawn; a lush, green meadow graced by budding dogwoods at dusk; a young couple stealing a kiss in a rose garden, and so on.

It was the seventh or eighth image – a rustic painting of a snow-covered red cabin in the woods – during which the magic happened (image below).

Sammy exclaimed, “This reminds me of when I was a little boy and my parents let me visit my grandmother for a couple of weeks every winter in Western Pennsylvania. Boy, the snow was so high, it was taller than the top of my head!”

Sammy went on and on about these trips to Grandma’s house, how much fun he had in this winter wonderland, how scrumptiously she cooked and how very much he loved her.  Clearly, this woman was the great love of his life. He shared about her and their relationship so very wholly and generously, almost as if she were standing right beside him.

It was easy for me to listen to him without bias or interruption.  What an honor to witness someone profusely sharing such joy!  Sammy was in the presence of how very much his Grandmother had loved him, and how very much he loved her.  Herein lies the sweetness of life.

Before either of us knew it, two hours flew by, and then Sammy announced, “Mark, I have to go to the bathroom.”

I said, “Okay, Sammy, let me help you up.”  And he said, “No bother…”

…and he flung off the bedsheets, hopped out of bed (imagine my surprise), pranced to the bathroom to do his business, pranced back and bounced right back into bed – like he was a kid again.  I reckon he was…

I’ve been with Sammy for about 6 hours total…not a very long relationship, one would think.  And yet, he was a very dear friend, and his passing so saddens me.  You see, I knew him a little, yet I knew him a lot.  I’ve been here before – I’m a hospice volunteer, after all – once grief has come and gone, a sense of honor and respect and gratitude settles in:  Wasn’t I lucky to have known this great man, even if just for a little while?

Okay, a couple of things here:

1.  That conversation about the love of Sammy’s life wasn’t going to happen so quickly without the ‘cabin in the woods’ painting.  One’s experience while viewing artwork triggers very important conversations for people, and sharing these elevates the quality of life psychosocially, cognitively, spiritually, and physically for all participants.

2.  I walked out of that room in love with that man and he was in love with me.   I triumphed as a volunteer. Listening to that conversation without bias bonded us deeply, emotionally, in an instant.  One might say we were co-joined spiritually; not as “Mark” and “Sammy” but as Love and Gratitude, expressed.

3. That single conversation altered the context of Sammy’s last days. No longer was he worried about dying, having done life right, existential angst or fear of what’s to come. No, he was basking in the glow of a life well lived. He loved so many great people and they loved him. “Thank you, God, for this great ride!”

“Art has power that flows beyond mere understanding.  It nourishes and sustains…indeed, some call it food for the soul”…starting with our own.

For Love & Art is a nonprofit enterprise that partners with fine museums around the world to bring the Art Experience to people with limited mobility. We stimulate art appreciation while empowering caregivers to love people in creative and transformative ways.

View more here

Submitted by:
Mark Blair W. Lombard
For Love & Art

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#ArtsinHealth #ArtsinHealthMonth #InternationalArtsinHealthMonth

Museum-based education for health professionals is a rich and expanding field in which educators engage health professions learners in arts-based activities intentionally designed to support transfer of learning from a museum to a clinical context. Museum-based education for health professionals promotes several key learning outcomes including: mastery of core skills such as observation, interpretation, and communication; cultivating personal insight; fostering appreciation for multiple perspectives; opening avenues to explore social advocacy; and promoting wellness. Following a museum-based activity, translational facilitators guide learners through a debriefing process which supports the discovery of real-world connections to clinical teaching, learning, and care delivery. Translational debriefing involves practices such as attending to psychological safety, using reflective listening and open-ended questions, practicing cultural humility, maintaining neutrality, and modeling curiosity. These translational opportunities can also help participants who are themselves health professions educators gain insights into their own teaching practices and provide new tools to incorporate, including bedside teaching strategies and innovative ways to facilitate small group learning.

Read the full article.

How can narrative practices and spiritual presence reshape modern medicine? In this powerful conversation, Dr. Andre Lijoi reflects on the intersection of faith, deep listening, and compassionate care- offering a vision of healing that goes far beyond clinical skill.

“Our healing power resides in our capacity to help people harness what is inside them that gives them hope.”
In this wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Andre Lijoi reflects on the lifelong integration of his Catholic faith with the practice of medicine, emphasizing that healing extends far beyond clinical competence to include spiritual presence, deep listening, and compassionate accompaniment. Drawing inspiration from figures like Saint Giuseppe Moscati and the teachings of Richard Rohr, Lijoi articulates a vocation grounded in humility, altruism, and what he calls a “sermon of service”—a form of care where actions, not words, communicate love and commitment to the patient. He argues that physicians are not only diagnosticians but also stewards of hope, helping patients harness their inner strength, especially amid chronic illness and uncertainty.

Learn more here.

Position Description – Individual Giving Manager
Full Time, exempt, salary between $45,000-55,000, benefits

About Snow City Arts
Snow City Arts (SCA) inspires and educates children and youth in hospitals through the arts. SCA provides one-on-one and small group instruction in the visual arts, creative writing, poetry, theater, music, dance and media arts to patients at Rush University Children’s Hospital, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and Children’s Hospital University of Illinois (UIC). In March 2020, Snow City Arts’ programming expanded to include virtual instruction to meet the needs of pediatric patients at our hospital partners. SCA is now employing a hybrid programming model, with Teaching Artists active both at hospital sites as well as virtually.

Snow City Arts’ curricula are steeped in studio practices and benchmarked by the National Core Arts Standards and Common Core State Standards. SCA works in partnership with Chicago Public Schools and suburban school districts. With permission, student learning outcomes and portfolios are sent to their schools in order to generate credit assignment for work completed with SCA. The Snow City Arts team includes an administrative staff of 5 and an artistic staff of 8 part-time, professional Teaching Artists, as well as numerous work-study students and volunteers. As a small, yet mighty organization, our team values an “all hands-on-deck” approach balanced with a commitment to wellness. Snow City Arts is committed to generating a work environment that centers on learning, equity, and inclusivity. A cohort member of Enrich Chicago, SCA is committed to advancing systemic change in the arts and is building and implementing a vision and framework for anti-racist work across the organization.

Summary of Position
Snow City Arts aims to make the connection between its work as an anti-racist organization and its fund development effort deeper and more impactful. As such, SCA seeks an insightful and motivated Individual Giving Manager to work closely with the Executive Director to build and manage our individual portfolio of community and sustaining donors. The Individual Giving Manager will be a talented storyteller, able to build and sustain relationships, and have strong data documentation and analytic skills. This position will design a framework for individual donor management, co-create moves management strategies, develop donor-related collateral, steward donors, and produce the annual appeal.