Powerful Partnership

What happens when creativity meets neuroscience? Florida Atlantic is finding out as one of the first Florida universities to join a global movement where art and science converge to improve health, well-being and community healing.

The university is joining worldwide Neuroarts Academic Network (NAN) working group, to help lead interdisciplinary efforts that embed the arts – such as music, dance, painting and storytelling – into research, medicine and public health.

Grounded in growing evidence that creative experiences have positive effects on brain function, emotion and body systems, FAU plans to contribute through interdisciplinary programs and research. FAU’s Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute (SNBI) will play a central role, working with the Dorothy F. Schmidt Colleges of Arts and Letters, Charles E. Schidt College of Medicine and community partners to launch new projects and integrate creative practices into therapeutic and preventive settings.

To accelerate this effort, SNBI launched a pilot program that supports innovative projects at the nexus of art and brain health. These grants will back initiatives exploring:

• How music or dance interventions might enhance resilience or cognitive outcomes
• How visual or storytelling practices can reduce stigma around neurological or mental health conditions
• How community-based art engagement might affect neural markers of stress or well-being
• Creative collaborations that integrate data, biofeedback, or imaging tools with art modalities

This pilot is a key step in the Neuroarts Blueprint vision, a coordinated strategy for building neuroarts as a rigorous field of study and practice, and cementing artistic approaches into health, science, policy and communities.

“This is a significant step for Florida Atlantic University and for the emerging field of neuroarts,” said Randy Blakely, Ph.D., FAU designated official for NAN, executive director of SNBI, David J.S. Nicholson Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience, and a professor of biomedical science in the FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. “Building on the momentum of the NeuroArts Blueprint, joining NAN recognizes FAU for its commitment to programs to unite the arts with brain science and medicine. This commitment not only recognizes a growing movement but also opens a door to transformative research opportunities – particularly in understanding how aesthetic experience can impact brain health.”

Read the press release.