Ohio University’s College of Fine Arts is merging the gap between fine arts and health studies. Through the implementation of a new certificate by the college, graduate students will be able to forge their experience in the arts with their passion for health and well-being.
The Graduate Arts in Health Graduate Certificate, which officially began this semester, requires two Arts in Health courses as well as two electives chosen from pre-approved graduate courses in arts administration, public health and integrated health sciences disciplines. The certificate, despite its niche focus, is open to all graduate majors.
Angela Sprunger, professor in the School of Art and Design, is the community liaison for the Arts in Health program. Sprunger said the certificate was inspired by the emerging, interdisciplinary field of Arts in Health.
“We started to think about potential for the collaborations that were already happening, and ways to formalize those collaborations to be part of this new field,” Sprunger said. “This program really came as a way to highlight the work we're already doing and invest more completely in that work.”
Kamile Geist, a professor in the School of Music, is the director of the Arts in Health program. Geist said the focus of the certificate is to enable students, several of which are in the arts, to utilize their skills and recognize the benefit that they can have on a larger scale.
“We have passionate undergrads who've been through a lot, especially these past few years, and they are looking for a way to make a difference with their art,” Geist said. “Some of them are very interested, (and ask) ‘What can I do to impact health? How can my art change and help communities?’”
Geist said the push to create a certificate surrounding these themes is due to increased research demonstrating that people who engage with the variety of art forms experience positive and lasting health outcomes.
“There's something about creating these things through art that just makes you feel so good,” Geist said. “The graduate certificate is actually for any graduate student at Ohio University, who wants to learn more about fine arts and how it impacts health."
Anita Dzikunu, a graduate student studying community dance, recently submitted her application for the Arts in Health Graduate Certificate. Dzikunu, who is an international student from Ghana, said this intersection of the arts with health studies is not present in her country, which was one of the reasons she was influenced to apply.
“I'm here to equip myself to get more knowledge and then go back to my country and then also add that to our health activities,” Dzikunu said. “I know that when art is involved in healthcare, people are able to distress (and) find a secure environment to express themselves.”
With the unique convergence of these two fields, Sprunger hopes it will inspire students to step outside of the confinements of their particular majors or professions.
“(The certificate) opens their ideas to break down this fallacy that everybody in their discipline has of ‘Well, I'm an artist, I don't do that,’ that's not true, or, ‘I'm a nurse, I'm not creative,’ also not true,” Sprunger said. “This is a program that I think helps folks to come together and realize how their different interests complement each other and serve each other."
