Healing in Arts by Guest Writer Christie Unakalamba
Healing can take many forms. Physical relief can be found in medical intervention, chiropractic services, or massage. But healing can also come in the form of art.
Navigating the world, navigating personal life crises, and navigating dynamic changes that impact us can create a physical, mental or even social isolation traceable to certain ailments. As such, understanding the diverse nature of humans, life, and making sense of the world around us can sometimes leave us feeling
deserted—lost in a world of our own.
This is where art can become a leverage for connection and resilience. We are not to walk life alone without a shoulder to lean on. The use of arts—music, dance, painting, poetry, and drama—provide a healing dimension. Art engagement in the context of community aids self-development, but it also plays a key role in our health, perseverance, and sustenance.
Healing in Arts seamlessly forges a connection between the mind and body. Participants also experience a level of healing that often goes deep beyond the physical to the mental and even to the spiritual via contact with other humans while engaging with various art forms. For instance, where exercise works mainly on the body, art, in the form of dance, clears the mind, accessing both mind and body to promote healing. Every time you sit down to write a song or paint a picture, you’re using mental processes in a physically engaging activity.
Personally, as a young woman who is navigating a new culture, dealing with changes, and facing the new stages in life, I am open to experience how art can cause a deeper sense of healing and wholesomeness. Art can provide a healthy release from the pain, vulnerabilities, and isolation I sometimes feel. Interactive art touches the deepest parts of our minds, bodies, and spirits—and heals.
Healing in Arts creates art experiences to build hope, care, and connection in under-served communities, including special needs kids, incarcerated teens, sex trafficked youth, First Nations people in Canada, veterans with PTSD, and the elderly.
Red pants with black lettering hung from the wall. The red against the white walls intrigued me to walk closer. I approached the pants to discover I could actually read them. I realized I was reading someone’s true story. It touched my heart, as if I heard the voice speaking from the pants. I walked away telling myself, “I have to meet the artist behind this project.” It was Pamela Alderman at the beginning of her MFA program. Today, I am a board member working alongside Pamela with Healing in Arts. It has been a pleasure planning behind the scenes and watching projects, plans, and goals come to fruition. I am overjoyed to see what Healing in Arts provides for others locally and internationally. I believe the world without art is just, BLAH. 
