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New York, NY | ArtTable’s Annual Leadership Series: Arts in Health
October 15 | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Arts in Health: Thriving Communities, Sustainable Organizations
Nearly five years after the emergence of COVID-19, we live and work in a world transformed by the pandemic and the interrelated political and social crises it brought into high relief. The transformative power of creative experiences in helping human beings process trauma has never been clearer, and yet arts organizations still struggle to regain their footing, both financially and operationally. The growing field of arts in health, bolstered by innovative collaborations across academia and the private sector, provides essential new frameworks for measuring and articulating the societal value of the visual arts to consumers, funders, and healthcare professionals. ArtTable’s conversation will bring together experts in research and philanthropy, as well as leaders of arts nonprofits and businesses, to imagine a sustainable and equitable future for our communities and the vital organizations that serve them. Attendees will hear from leaders in the arts in health field and come away from this conversation with new frameworks for investigating and articulating the tremendous societal value of their work.
Speakers will include:
- Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, Transdisciplinary Artist, Educator, and Community Builder
- Dr. Nisha Sajnani, Founding Co-Director, Jameel Arts & Health Lab | Director, NYU Drama Therapy Program | Editor, Drama Therapy Review
- Cris Scorza, Helena Rubinstein Chair of Education, Whitney Museum of American Art
Our full roster of speakers will be announced shortly, along with the address and directions to our venue in Manhattan.
About the Annual Leadership Series: This signature ArtTable program was initially launched in 2016, and since its inception, the series has fostered engaging conversations among prominent women and nonbinary professionals. It has provided a platform for these influential voices to discuss the most pressing and relevant topics within our industries.
Program Admission:
- ArtTable Member – $35
- Friend of Member – $45
- Non-Member – $55
Not a member? Join today!
About Cris Scorza:
As the Helena Rubinstein Chair of Education at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Scorza provides vision, leadership, and strategic direction for the Museum’s education program. She oversees interpretation and educational content; public programs and academic engagement; social impact and learning aligning school, youth, and family programs; and access and community programs. In addition, she plays an active role in Whitney’s Latinx initiatives and evolving Spanish-language bilingual efforts. Scorza creates programs for diverse communities that incite inquiry, build self-esteem, foster an interest in art history, and respond to a contemporary culture centered on equity and inclusion. She has worked in renowned institutions such as the New Museum, MoMA, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
At MCASD, Scorza and her team implemented a variety of programs tailored to the surrounding community, including collaborations with artists and arts organizations in the U.S./Mexico border region, leadership development for teens with an emphasis on social justice, and cutting-edge work with combat troops recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She has curated social practice exhibitions and community-centered collaborations at MCASD, such as Oscar Romo: Recovered Stream (2020); To-Do • A Mending Project (2019); and Sanctuary Print Shop (2018). As an arts administrator, she developed and managed a range of exhibitions, including Photography in Mexico: Selections from the Collection (2013); Alvaro Blancarte: Marking the Present (2015), DELIMITATIONS: A Survey of the 1821 United States-Mexico Border (2016); and Papel Chicano Dos: Works of Paper from the Cheech Marin Collection (2016). She has also authored essays on Las Hermanas Iglesias, Ramiro Gomez, John Valadez, and Daniel Guzman.
Scorza has served on professional and civic committees, including the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Art Advisory Committee and the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet Diversity and Inclusion Advisory. She is also an adjunct professor at Baruch College, CUNY, in the Arts Administration Masters Program. Scorza, born in Mexico City, studied painting at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. She has a B.A. in arts administration and art history from Baruch College, CUNY, an M.A. in leadership in museum education from Bank Street College of Education, and a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University.
About Nisha Sajnani:
Nisha Sajnani, PhD, RDT-BCT is a co-founding, co-director of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, established as a collaboration between the WHO Regional Office for Europe, NYU Steinhardt, Culturunners, and Community Jameel, with a mission to measurably improve lives through the arts. She is also Associate Professor and Director of the Program in Drama Therapy at NYU Steinhardt and on faculty with the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma where she lectures on the role of the arts in global mental health. Dr. Sajnani is a global leader in a growing movement to advance understanding of how engaging in the arts can support people of all ages in living longer, fuller, and healthier lives.
She leads the Jameel Arts & Health Lab – Lancet Global Series on the health benefits of the arts, in collaboration with the WHO. Recent publications include a commentary for the National Endowment for the Arts on realizing the potential of the artists, arts therapists, and arts organizations as partners in clinical and public health in our homes, schools, and communities, a co-edited ebook on the psychological and physiological benefits of the arts, a Howlround article on teaching theater in times of crisis, and the first WHO policy brief on the role of the arts in supporting the mental wellbeing of people who are forcibly displaced. She is the principal editor of Drama Therapy Review and serves on the editorial boards of The Arts in Psychotherapy and the Journal of Applied Arts & Health.
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