Society for Arts Leadership Educators

About the workshop: Enjoy a 'participatory-arts sampler'. Experience first-hand some of the programs delivered in Arts for Well-Being. Participants will consider how to build similar experiences from their own expertise or the interest and expertise of others on their team. Looking forward to meeting you!

Arts for Well-Being in Academic Medicine (AWiAM), a participatory-arts program launched as a pilot in January 2024, highlights the growing recognition that creative opportunities contribute to stronger interpersonal connections and empathetic engagement. Developed by the Office for Organizational Well-Being, within the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, AWiAM, aligns with broader departmental initiatives to foster a sustainable culture of organizational well-being. AWiAM offers group-based collaboration that invites conversations and promotes community and connection amongst participants. Using principles from participatory-arts, shared spaces, and visual thinking, the programs nurture relational systems within the academic medical center.

The sessions use social dance, coloring, and visual thinking as vehicles for conversation and connection. AWiAM aims to create a psychologically safe space for individuals to integrate their life experiences into both learning and working environments. The program seeks to strengthen social bonds among colleagues, emphasizing that our value in the workplace stems from who we are as individuals, not just from the tasks we complete. While AWiAM is open to all members of the UK College of Medicine, the majority of the participants engaging in the programs identify as women. Through engaging art making, conversation, and partnered social dance, participants connect on a deeper level, fostering kindness and humanity in the workplace.

Participatory arts are a powerful tool for strengthening social support systems among staff, students, and faculty. To broaden access to creative experiences, AWiAM programs are carefully chosen for their ease of administration. New in-house programs are designed with a ‘train-the-trainer’ component, ensuring that curriculum can scale and remain sustainable. This approach allows for the eventual expansion of programming to regional college of medicine campuses over time. The sustainability of facilitation ensures that as new staff take on responsibilities, the knowledge of AWiAM can be seamlessly transferred. The Arts for Well-Being in Academic Medicine program serves as an accessible entry point into the arts for both the participants and the facilitators. This framework supports individuals with a passion for the arts or well-being to successfully manage the program, regardless of their specific expertise in the arts or administration.

Presenter Biography
Renee Gallagher, MEd, is a staff member in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Office for Organizational Well-Being. A former professional competitive ballroom dancer, she won the U.S. National Professional Rising Star Rhythm Championship before an unexpected injury altered her career path. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, Renee went on to own and operate dance schools in San Jose, California, and Richmond, Kentucky, for nearly 12 years. Although she no longer owns a studio, she remains passionate about developing learning programs that foster community and connection.

Renee is currently developing the train-the-trainer curriculum for Sway2Go. Sway2Go is a social dance program that is fun to facilitate and brings partnership dance experiences into the spaces where we live, work, learn and play.

Renee is a doctoral student in the University of Kentucky College of Education, Learning Design and Technology program. She is pursuing an EdD in Instruction and Administration, with a focus on removing barriers to access for participatory-arts programming. Renee is dedicated to advancing learning experiences that illustrate how creativity, empathy, and the arts can cultivate meaningful relationships in workplaces, healthcare environments, and rural communities. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys spending time at home with her family and zoo of house pets.