UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine

02/26/2026

The Alachua County Library District regularly shares arts activities open to the public here in Alachua County!
Follow their page for more opportunities to get creative in community 🎨

Join us for a Pottery Class with Big G Pottery on Friday, March 6, at 2 p.m. at the Micanopy Branch.

Chris from Big G Pottery is back with a hands-on class. Register to save your seat.
https://tr.ee/xJCATN

02/25/2026

Class Update: Encore Dancers Workshop is canceled tomorrow, 2/26

02/23/2026

Class Update: Dance for Joy is cancelled on Tuesday, 2/24

02/20/2026

International Scholar Highlight ✨

Meet Akshata Parekh and Irene Iuliano!

Akshata (left) is an Expressive Arts Therapist and multi-modal artist from Pune, India, who joins UF Health Shands AIM as a visiting researcher with the UF Center for Arts in Medicine's Interdisciplinary Research Lab.

Irene (right) also joins us as a member of the Interdisciplinary Research Lab and hails from Italy where she serves as a community psychologist, researcher, and social theater facilitator.

We are thrilled to host these stellar arts in health professionals and look forward to a rich exchange of knowledge and wisdom from their perspectives as members of the field.

02/19/2026

Gator Giving Day is today! 🐊
Our sibling program, the UF Center for Arts in Medicine, is celebrating 30 years as a program. 🥳

Help us celebrate their incredible additions to the field of arts in health with a $30 gift, or any amount! Follow the link in the post to support future arts in health change-makers 🎨🧑‍⚕️🎶

02/16/2026

Join UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine for Creating Healthy Communities: A Florida Arts in Health Forum, a first-of-its-kind gathering designed to connect Florida-based artists and arts in health champions with essential knowledge, inspiration, and resources from across the field.

Whether you are an artist, healthcare professional, or advocate working at the intersection of arts in health, this FREE forum is designed for you!

The one-day event features key insights and takeaways from the recent Creating Healthy Communities Convening at NJPAC, alongside highlights of innovative arts in health efforts happening throughout Florida.

A special focus of the forum will be arts prescribing and its growing role in community wellness.

🗓 Thursday, April 30, 2026 from 10am-4pm
📍Heartwood Soundstage (619 S Main St, Gainesville, FL 32601)

Registration is required and seats are limited. Secure your spot today using the link below: https://artsinmedicine.ufhealth.org/resources/creating-healthy-communities-a-florida-arts-in-health-forum/

02/13/2026

Calling all Florida-based artists, healthcare workers, and arts in health champions 📲

Creating Healthy Communities is returning to Florida!
Join us for a free, one-day gathering that will educate, inspire, and foster connection between creatives who strive to spark wellness through the arts within Florida communities.

Save the Date! 📆
Thursday, April 30th, 2026
10am-4pm in Gainesville, FL

Registration is required and seats are limited. Want to reserve your spot? Subscribe to the AIM newsletter to be the first to hear when registration is officially open. Link below:
https://artsinmedicine.ufhealth.org/about/contact-us/join-aim-mailing-list/

02/10/2026

Want the chance to be on the radio? AIM's Shift Change Radio Hour producers will be at Healthy Heroes Day on April 18th!🎙️📻

The Wombat: WMBT 90.1 FM

Mark your calendars for our upcoming Healthy Heroes Day, Saturday, April 18, 2026, at UF Health Professional Park!

Our free community event features a bike raffle, prizes, music, free bike helmets, an obstacle course, and several community wellness organizations providing safety demonstrations and tips for healthy living.

Stay tuned for more event details and visit, UFHealth.org/HealthyHeroesDay

02/09/2026

The arts have the ability to transform our perspectives, even on our own health.

Cristiana O'Reilly, an artist and patient at UF Health Shands, discovered a new perspective on the port installed on her chest during her admission. Thanks to art materials from AIM and her own creativity, Cristiana is able to make new meaning out her relationship with her port.

"I have been insecure about my port and the discoloration of my skin, having to look at my chest everyday in the mirror or showing my skin. Creating this piece was like working with an alter ego," Cristiana said of her multicolored self-portraits.
"When I make art, I forget about my pain. I appreciate my port more because something good comes out of it. It’s something that helps me. It’s part of me. My insecurities have flushed down the drain."
"This screams Crissy. It screams 'Sickle Cell Warrior'. It screams my trials and tribulations. It is me."

02/05/2026

Disability-forward arts engagements are a large part of the Arts in Medicine team’s work and mission.

Last semester, multi-modal artist and UF Occupational Therapy doctoral capstone student, Lena Krone, joined the UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine (AIM) team. Her goal: enhance AIM's confidence and competence when delivering creative engagements to individuals and groups with a range of disabilities.

Continuing to provide arts-based engagements with a disability-forward lens is a top priority to our team. As part of Lena’s capstone project, she developed a guidebook for our team of artists that includes tools and resources to better serve UF Health patients, care partners, staff, and the Greater Gainesville community.

Our belated congratulations to Lena, who graduated from the University of Florida as a Doctor of Occupational Therapy! Lena is setting off to Georgia, where she will serve as an OT at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Lena also plans to continue utilizing her creative skills in photography, creative direction, booking, and artist management.

02/05/2026

Big smiles for this artwork made by Clarissa, an artist who attends AIM's art workshops at GROW HUB 🧡
Learn more about our visual art workshops at GROW HUB: https://artsinmedicine.ufhealth.org/programs/community-programs-2/visual-art/arts-in-medicine-at-grow-hub/

02/04/2026

AIM artists and administrators had an opportunity to visit Moffitt Cancer Center's Open Art Studio, All Children's Hospital, and Creative Clay in January 🎨

AIM artist Sarah Hinds said of the visits, "It was a rich exchange where ideas and best practices were shared with enthusiasm. We all walked away inspired and invigorated. Strengthening our local partnerships is vital to the work of arts in health. A rising tide lifts all boats!" 🧡