Students and professionals in healthcare, legal, and allied fields are invited to engage with art in ways that can transform thinking and expand their approach to the fields they practice.
Civic Wellness at the Art Institute of Chicago uses art to support the development of students and professionals in healthcare, legal, and allied fields. Practitioners in these fields are uniquely positioned to powerfully and positively impact communities in Chicago and beyond, and we believe that art can spark particularly insightful conversations and serve as a resource for these practitioners’ training.
CIVIC WELLNESS FIELDS
Narrative Medicine
Narrative medicine is a term used to describe work that connects the liberal and fine arts with medical practice. You may also hear “art and medicine” or similar terminology. Like its varied names, the work comes in many forms: perhaps a group of surgeons looks at a sculpture in order to reflect on anatomy and the body, or an occupational therapist uses creative writing to help a patient discuss their mental health. The possibilities are truly limitless.
Law and Art
Engagement with art for those in the law or legal-adjacent fields also can broaden perspectives in unexpected and unique ways. For example, looking at and discussing artworks can hone observation and communication skills, which are crucial for investigators. Reflecting on our reactions to and interpretations of artworks can also help us examine questions such as “What does it mean to be objective?” which can increase self-awareness around one’s decision-making processes.
Allied Fields
We are enthusiastic about supporting the training of students and professionals working closely in areas of social work, governmental agencies, policing, and more. If you feel your work could benefit from a Civic Wellness partnership, regardless of the field, please feel free to contact us.
PROGRAM OPTIONS AND CONCEPTS
Civic Wellness programs can take many different forms:
- Gallery workshops (single session and multi-session)
- Classroom or workplace visits
- Resource and curriculum development
- Informal small group conversations and gallery walkthroughs
- Virtual workshops
- Lectures and conference presentations
Programs also offer a range of concepts and skills to explore:
- Close looking and strategic observation
- Empathic thinking
- Problem solving
- Communication and collaboration
- Confidence with ambiguity
- Visual literacy
- Implicit-bias awareness
- Self-care and mindfulness
What to Expect
We aim for true collaborations with our partners—it is our goal to develop long-term partnerships that will provide opportunities for multiple engagements and research and that can evolve and grow over time. Ongoing relationships with faculty, administrators, practitioners, and educators allow us to best understand the needs of each field and to meet their unique learning objectives. This means investing time for conversations, on-site visits, resource sharing, and curriculum development.
Civic Wellness Educators
Sam Ramos is director of Gallery Activation at the Art Institute of Chicago. He teaches across the galleries on a variety of topics including nature, history, medicine, law, race, colonialism, and, of course, art. He is a practicing writer who has published fiction, art criticism, and essays in a number of places, though his first loves are short stories and novels. Most recently, his novel, Ghost Box, was longlisted for the 2023 Dzanc Fiction Prize. He received his BFA in art history and studio art and his MFA in creative writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Kristen French is assistant director of Gallery Activation at the Art Institute of Chicago. She creates in-gallery programs that connect audiences to artworks and to their own capacity for critical reflection. She received two BAs from DePaul University: one in the history of art and architecture and one in public policy studies. Kristen is currently pursuing an MA in modern and contemporary art history, theory, and criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Nancy Chen is associate director of Gallery Activation at the Art Institute of Chicago. She organizes gallery programs that encourage adult and multi-generational audiences to connect meaningfully and creatively with artwork across the museum’s vast collections. Nancy’s personal creative practices include writing, drawing, and printmaking. She received a BA in English language and literature from the University of Virginia and an MA in the humanities, concentrating in creative writing, from the University of Chicago.
