How can arts participation in communities influence social cohesion and wellbeing?
One Nation/One Project sought to answer that question.
Through participatory qualitative, quantitative, and arts-based methods, our research team explored the relationships between arts participation and health in communities across the U.S.
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Our research methods were grounded in equity. We valued social relationships, lived experiences, histories, narratives, stories, artworks and cultural expressions. Every community is different, and our research aimed to be reflective of the vast and diverse artistic experiences of the U.S.
We also committed to advancing equity in research practices, which is why our research was co-created and co-owned by individuals in the communities in which we worked. These partnerships allowed data and information to be shared back to communities to inform future investments, research and arts and health programming.
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Our team undertook foundational studies that defined “arts participation,” as well as reviewed current research concerning arts participation, social cohesion and wellbeing. To read our first research brief, click here!
Our Theory of Change Study explored relationships between the arts, social cohesion, and well-being through surveys, focus groups, and participatory art murals.
Lastly, our team researched social prescribing and arts prescribing through implementation science studies and an in-depth case study of three #ArtsForEveryBody communities creating social prescribing programs of their own!
Read Research Brief #1
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This research brief summarizes a study examining how arts participation can build social cohesion and enhance well-being in communities, presenting key findings from an integrative literature review and introducing a conceptual model that illustrates the relationships between arts participation, social cohesion, and well-being.