Arts and culture are fundamental to the vitality and wellbeing of our cities, towns, and villages. The arts can inspire, heal, and help our communities grow. NLC helps local leaders to leverage the power of the arts to improve the health, cohesion and resilience of their communities.
Programs
NLC partnered with One Nation / One Project, a national arts and health initiative designed to activate the power of the arts to repair the social fabric of our nation and heal our communities. The partners established learning cohorts and provides technical assistance to local governments and their partners working at the intersection of art and public health. As part of this work, the initiative launched Arts for EveryBody, a campaign demonstrating how participation in the arts can lead to healthier people and healthier communities.
The initiative works with municipal leadership, community health leaders and safety net providers, local artists, and the communities hardest hit by the pandemic to improve community health, resilience, and cohesion. 18 communities of all sizes are engaged in the initiative, including 9 local governments from across the country.
Creativity and Collaboration for Healthier Cities
Artists can help cities achieve myriad goals in unique and impactful ways. This resource is designed to equip and enable local government professionals to better engage and partner with artists, and in so doing, improve community trust, increase transparent communication, and flexibly respond to dynamic community needs. The guide focuses on new ways to collaborate across departments and agencies, bring more resident voices and perspectives to the table, and build new coalitions within government systems and public settings.
Arts for Well-Being: A Self-Directed Stress Relief Exercise for Local Officials
How a Simple Board Game Changed a City Council for the Better
- Georgia Gempler
5 Ways Artists Can Help Local Government
- Georgia Gempler
Ways that Cities Are Directing ARPA Dollars Toward the Arts
A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words: Why Cities Must Engage Artists in Climate Action
- Ayesha Mehrotra
For more information, connect with NLC at arts@nlc.org.