ARTICLE
The Watson Clinic Foundation’s Arts in Medicine programs are among a number of local organizations that have been included in a Proclamation by the City of Lakeland declaring Saturday, July 27 as Arts and Health Day. The proclamation underscores the program’s commitment to recognizing and celebrating the significant role that the arts play in enhancing individual and community health.
“Through our Arts in Medicine program, we’re able to use the arts in all its forms to promote healing and wellness, which in turn improves patient outcomes for cancer patients at the Watson Clinic Cancer & Research Center,” reports Arts in Medicine program coordinator Tiffany Van Wieren. “This proclamation from the City of Lakeland underscores the importance of these efforts – not only on the lives of patients and their caregivers, but in the community as a whole.”
Additional participants in the proclamation include the Mayor’s Council on the Arts, Lakeland Vision, Polk Arts and Cultural Alliance, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland Symphony Orchestra, Florida Dance Theater and Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine.
“The Mayor’s Council on the Arts is experiencing the most collaborative arts organization inter-cooperation in Lakeland’s history,” said Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz. “It is so exciting to witness the desire of all organizations to strengthen their facets of expertise to improve overall art and health in our fortunate city!”
In the lead up to Arts and Health Day during the week of Monday, July 22 – Friday, July 26, the Foundation’s Arts in Medicine program and other local partners are encouraging all area residents to take part in the Community Canvas project. Participants will be supplied a hexagon-shaped piece of paper, which they will take with them to design and color using crayons, colored pencils, paint or any other artistic tool at their disposal. Once completed, they can return the paper back to the studio in the designated drop off box. Each completed piece will be joined together at the end of the week to form an artistic collage, which will be proudly and publicly displayed at the studio for one year.
The Arts in Medicine studio is located on the second floor of the Watson Clinic Cancer & Research Center at 1730 Lakeland Hills Blvd. in Lakeland, and is open from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
For more information on the Community Canvas project, including additional locations where participants can pick up and drop off their paper canvas pieces, call the AIM Program Coordinator at 863-603-4718.