Four-Week “Creating for Compassion” Series Certified by University of Florida
February 26, 2021 – Artists have long known that both creating and enjoying art can help even the most stoic among us experience deep empathy. Now, doctors are actually prescribing art therapy to help treat a variety of illnesses, from Alzheimer’s Disease, to heart trouble and depression.
With COVID-19 pandemic changing daily, ArtServe has embraced the “physician, heal thyself” proverb to offer a free workshop series called “Creating for Compassion” for those who feel mentally and physically exhausted from being pushed beyond their limits, such as health care workers.
Scheduled to run through Tuesday, March 23, Creating for Compassion will be held on Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in person at ArtServe’s Fort Lauderdale headquarters. No art materials are required to participate. Space is limited to 20 people. Face masks will be required to attend and social distancing protocols will be strictly observed during the class. Those who may miss one class in the series can also participate in the others.
The workshops, conceived by ArtServe employee Ed Zeltner as part of his graduate studies at the University of Florida’s Arts and Health program, has been fully certified by the school’s Institutional Review Board.
“By taking away the focus on their injuries, art-based experiences can actually result in patients asking for less pain medication less often,” Zeltner related, explaining that the term “art therapy” is used in reference to medical prognosis and physiological applications, whereas “arts and health” connotes an emotional experience that conveys positive feelings as the benefit of art-making. “Creating for Compassion” is an “arts and health” program.
“Compassionate living and creating art are both ways to help prevent burnout for a positive way to cope,” ArtServe Executive Director Jason Hughes noted “This workshop series will include compassion-focused art activities as a self-care workshop on burnout prevention techniques. The goal is to help people learn how to show themselves some love!”
Because of space limitations, registration is required to attend. Email Rion Birchmore at rionb@artserve.org.
About ArtServe
Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, ArtServe is an award-winning, 33-year-old non-profit arts incubator that is advancing the arts for social good. Named a “2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit” by Great Non-Profits, ArtServe has won awards for innovation and collaboration for exhibition and programming that substantively contribute to the region’s economy. The organization’s creative and thoughtful projects spark financial vitality by aligning professional artists with the business community. ArtServe secures financial support through donations, sponsorships and memberships and is supported in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners. Requests and questions about the ArtServe facility, programs, membership and donations can be emailed to information@ArtServe.org.
