Date of Award
Spring 4-30-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Art (M.F.A.)
Department
Theater
Language
English
First Advisor
Michael Page
Abstract
Leading with a culture of care is the art of wellness-based design. The arts are often seen as places for healing and community connection; however, arts institutions themselves frequently function in ways that undermine well-being. The systems in place do not promote wellness, nor do they dedicate resources to maintaining the vitality of staff. Wellness initiatives in the arts are ordinarily based on programming, rather than embedded into the foundation of the organization. Although engaging with the arts as a whole elevates wellness, it is challenging to find an arts institution designed with wellness practices in mind. There is a moral obligation to change this approach, in order to strengthen staff sustainability, and safeguard community health. Arts managers can improve organizational culture and learning outcomes by designing programs, policies, and practices which prioritize holistic wellness, moving beyond individual models toward systemic wellness-centered organizational design. With recent trends in prioritization of wellness, there is a new paradigm emerging: the arts-in-health field is rapidly expanding and becoming a crucial segment of community engagement. There is substantial evidence surrounding how the arts and wellness interact, and a rise of individualized programs which engage both ideals. However, there is a severe lack of instruction on how to intentionally design arts institutions with wellness in mind, and considering this from both internal and external perspectives. This paper attempts to establish how arts leaders can integrate wellness into organizational culture and program design, and analyze the barriers which affect these practices and how to address them. The focus of this piece will be on not-for-profit arts institutions and will emphasize systemic and policy driven programming over individual self-care practices. To assess these questions, this paper will examine the following: definitions of wellness and neuroarts, historical context of arts-in-health, current examples of arts and wellness programming, case studies of three successful well-being based programs, and frameworks for future endeavors.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Olander, Ashleigh, "Wellness by Design: Leadership and Learning Practices for Well-Being in Arts Management" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/bc_etds/9
