Hearts: Health & Arts

Mission

HEARTS: Health & Arts is dedicated to enriching the health of individuals, organizations, and all of society through the performing arts and all other arts.

Description

HEARTS creates, produces, and promotes arts and arts-related events that create a "culture of health," the enhancement of well-being of all society through creative expression. We are also interested in conducting research into the effects of the arts on health and we are part of the growing field of Arts & Health.

Our current project is "Star Pieces" by Pamela Gerke – a graphic musical, with a soundtrack accessible on any internet-connected device. The story creates a culture of health by fantasizing a path to World Peace.  The time is the near future, the world is suffering from war, famine, disease, and climate change. Meanwhile, some of the goddesses and gods work with mortals to create a Ribbon of Peace to wrap around the world; at the same time, Venus, Goddess of Love and an avatar of women, gets in all kinds of trouble. In the end she saves the day and…..World Peace is created!

The illustrations are nearing completion, while work is well underway to record the musical soundtrack. The instrumentals have been recorded, and the vocal tracks are now in process.   We are recording this with Seattle area musicians and singer/actors at Sound Sound Studio.  We are currently raising funds to meet the expenses of this recording project.

Our organization began with a project to "Nurture the Nurturers" - nurses and healthcare workers. We produced workshop readings and theatrical tours of a new musical, "Nightingale: Regarding the Life & Passion of Miss Florence Nightingale" by Pamela Gerke. The show is an inspiring historical dramatization of one of the nursing profession's pioneers and a powerful role model for nurses.

When our tour was shut down by the pandemic, we turned our creative energies toward producing a film to bring Nightingale's life and work to life. The film was released in September, 2021, and is free of charge on YouTube, our gift of inspiration to nurses and healthcare workers for their enormous contributions to all of us, especially during the pandemic.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/Z58-SiuxCFQ

Future activities of HEARTS will include public events and research projects that embrace the myriad effects of expressive arts on the health and well-being of society, including, but not limited to, nursing and other healthcare communities.

Recognition

HEARTS' stage and film non-profit project of "Nightingale" has been funded entirely by donations and sponsorships. Our Sponsors include several prominent state and local nursing organizations: Washington Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, Washington Center for Nursing, King County Nurses Association, Rainier Olympic Nurses Association, American Holistic Nurses Association, and Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners of Washington State. Numerous individual donors have also helped us meet our production expenses, including through GoFundMe-Charity and Washington Gives.

Through this journey with "Nightingale" we worked closely with many nursing departments at University of Washington (Seattle & Bothell), Shoreline Community College, Bellingham Technical College, and Tacoma Community College, as well as the Women of Women Conference and Admiral UCC (both in Seattle).

Our HEARTS Board of Directors is made up of healthcare professionals and artists, all dedicated to the intersection between arts and health.