NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative

Theres still time to participate in the Neuroarts Survey! Share your thoughts today.

Join the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative team on October 15 at 1 p.m. ET for a webinar sharing our newest resource--the Neuroarts Research Field Guide: Understanding How the Arts Shape Our Brain, Body, and Behavior. We're pleased to partner with the Society for Neuroscience's Neuronline team as we host a discussion of our Research Field Guide, which offers a practical overview of foundational concepts and research examples shaping the growing field of neuroarts. Speakers include Emmeline Edwards, PhD, Director of Research, NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative and former Director of the Division of Extramural Research at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH); Susan Chung, PhD, Director of Innovation Programs at HKS; Assal Habibi, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Music, Brain, and Society at the University of Southern California; and Aston K. McCullough, MPhil, PhD, Assistant Professor at Northeastern University and core faculty member of the Center for Cognitive & Brain Health. Looking to learn more about neuroarts before the webinar? Join the Neuroarts Resource Center to access a growing repository of research and information, and connect with others working across arts, health, and science. Register here today: https://lnkd.in/eMBsZyMB

How can the design of places and spaces positively impact our daily lives? Join us October 7 as we host an in-person conversation between Michael P. Murphy Jr., IAM Lab’s inaugural Architect-in-Residence, and Susan Magsamen, IAM Lab Executive Director. This event, How Architecture Transforms Us, will delve into how architecture can support healing and create environments that reflect who we are while supporting who we hope to become. This free event is the first in a series of IAM Lab-led events honoring The Johns Hopkins University Sesquecentennial – 150 Years One Hopkins. The series is supported, in part, by an Envisioning the Future award. It celebrates JHU’s pursuit of knowledge and dedication to improving lives as well as its growth as a global hub for neuroarts and neurospatial design, by exploring how intentional design can affect health and wellbeing. During his residency, Murphy will work closely with faculty, clinicians, researchers, students, and community partners to catalyze new ways of thinking about the built environment. The residency is part of the IAM Lab’s Intentional Spaces Initiative whose work is supported, in part, by The Pedersen Foundation. The talk will take place from 5:30-7:00 p.m. on JHU’s Homewood campus at the SNF Agora Institute, 3102 Wyman Park Dr, Baltimore, MD 21218. This event is free and open to the public. Livestream will be available for those who are unable to join us in person. Please register today to attend in person or via livestream: https://lnkd.in/eTSPF6UY

Take the Neuroarts Survey Today! We need your insights! The Neuroarts Academic Network has launched a survey exploring how academic institutions and other organizations train, support, and prepare individuals across multiple disciplines to apply neuroarts-related knowledge in the workforce. The answers you give will help identify gaps, opportunities, and strategies for strengthening education and career pathways, developing courses and curricular offerings, and shaping institutional infrastructure. The survey, which closes on October 14, is open to organizations, academic institutions, and individuals who would like to share their perspectives on the growing field of neuroarts. All are welcome to take the survey and are encouraged to share it with their networks. Survey Link: https://lnkd.in/eD46ME4Z

The academic year is underway and the IAM Lab is excited to announce leading architect, Michael P. Murphy Jr., as its inaugural Architect-in-Residence. This new residency represents a unique opportunity for the IAM Lab to convene voices from around the world at the intersection of architecture, neuroscience, medicine, the arts, and technology via the IAM Lab’s Intentional Spaces Initiative, whose work is supported by the The Pedersen Foundation. During the yearlong residency, Murphy, who brings a distinctive and globally recognized perspective to this position, will work closely with JHU faculty, clinicians, researchers, students, and community partners to catalyze new ways of thinking about the built environment. Central to this effort will be the creation of interdisciplinary forums that bring together architects, neuroscientists, designers, the business community, healthcare leaders, and community stakeholders including a series of salon-style conversations around trauma-informed design, brain-machine hardware and software, and new criteria for measurement and evaluation in faculty-led pilot projects. Murphy is founder of AMMA, a design and development collaborative focused on the ways in which space shapes our minds, bodies, and communities, and former lead founder and CEO of the non-profit design firm MASS Design Group. He has led the design of renowned projects such as The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Murphy, who has held many positions in academia, is also an author whose pieces have appeared in a variety of publications. His recent book, Our World in Ten Buildings, explores how buildings embody and shape the values, histories, and power structures of societies. We’re excited to collaborate with Mr. Murphy and look forward to seeing where this residency will lead the IAM Lab’s expanding work in neurospatial design. Read the press release here: https://lnkd.in/dy663T7F

Our colleagues at the UK's Humanise.org Campaign have released The Mayors’ Guide: How to Build Back Joy and Belonging, calling on Mayors across the UK to champion development that supports pride, belonging, wellbeing, and long-term value. The guide offers practical recommendations for translating evidence about how the built environment shapes human experience into action, bringing many of the ideas we’re exploring through the Intentional Spaces Initiative into the civic conversation. We’re excited to see this work reaching civic leaders and helping shape the future of our communities. Read the guide here: https://lnkd.in/ewTPFAs4

We’re excited to see the release of the Milken Institute's new Giving Smarter Guide, Bridging Neuroscience, Health, and the Built Environment. The report highlights the growing momentum around neurospatial design and the important role philanthropy can play in strengthening evidence, building partnerships, and moving this work into practice. Through the Intentional Spaces Initiative and our work with the Pedersen Collaborative, we’re excited to be part of this growing community working across neuroscience, design, health, philanthropy, and the built environment. We’re grateful to the Milken Institute, The Pedersen Foundation, and the many contributors helping move this work forward.

In this guest blog post, Erin Gloster, Membership and Communications Coordinator, and Danielle Acerra, Managing Director, share how the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH) is advancing arts and health through professional development, advocacy, research, and community-building. As a hub, NOAH connects more than 700 members, creating opportunities to collaborate and strengthen the field. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gEzvGp4j

It’s almost National Arts & Health Day! This week, we’re celebrating the power of the arts to heal, connect, and uplift with the National League of Cities. Across the country, creativity is improving health outcomes and transforming lives. In fact, our recent research project with Seattle’s Path with Art showed the benefits of community-based arts programs for those recovering from trauma. https://lnkd.in/gi_4ChT3 Your community can participate in this burgeoning national movement by highlighting how the arts contribute to wellbeing in your community, showcasing your community’s art, and proclaiming July 25th to be Arts & Health Day. Use the hashtag #ArtsHealthDay26 to join the national conversation

In this guest blog post, Leah Kurta, Research Director at Kinda Studios, shares how the lab translates neuroscience research into real-world experiences that enhance the impact of arts, culture, and technology on health and wellbeing. Bridging academic insights and creative processes, Kinda Studios unites silos, transforming science into embodied experiences that prioritize public access and equity. Drawing on projects including Your Inner Symphony, EVE: The EEG Visualiser of Emotions, and Emergence, Kurta introduces Kinda’s “dual impact” model, which combines large-scale biometric data collection with reflective, audience-centered experiences. A better understanding of the health outcomes associated with arts and cultural experiences can, in turn, support effective preventative health care that leverages biofeedback loops and immersive technologies to help regulate stress and promote wellbeing before challenges become chronic or acute. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/ghM7ZR2H