The National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military: Reports and Publications

Strengthening the Health and Well Being of Service Members, Veterans, their Families and Caregivers Through the Arts

A banner displaying military service members, veterans, their families and caregivers engaged in the arts.

New Release: Arts, Health, and Well-Being Across the Military Continuum White Paper 2.0—2020 and Beyond.

The second White Paper chronicles the progress of the National Initiative since its launch in 2012 and lays out a menu of new goals in the areas of practice, research and policy. View White Paper 2.0 here.

report coverThe Arts: Promising Solutions for Meeting the Challenges Facing Today's Military - Then and Now

A Briefing Paper repared for the National Roundtable for Arts, Health and Well-being Across the Military Continuum, November 30, 2016.

Download the Briefing Paper (PDF)

report coverArts, Health, and Well-Being Across the Military Continuum - White Paper and Framing a National Plan for Action

Published in October, 2013 the report, Arts, Health, and Well-Being Across the Military Continuum - White Paper and Framing a National Plan for Action (PDF, 1.5 MB), details a series of recommendations in the areas of research, practice, and policy that came out of two national convenings. The convening were The Arts and Health in the Military National Roundtable (November 2012) and the National Summit: Arts, Health, and Well-Being Across the Military Continuum (April 2013).

Download the Full Report (PDF, 1.5 MB)
Download the Fact Sheet (PDF, 656 KB)

report coverThe Arts: A Promising Solution to Meeting the Challenges of Today’s Military—A Summary Report and Blueprint for Action

This report, The Arts: A Promising Solution to Meeting the Challenges of Today’s Military—A Summary Report and Blueprint for Action (PDF, 1.27 MB) is intended to open the door for a national conversation and the development of a National Action Plan that will ensure the availability of arts interventions for our service men and women and their families, and integrate the arts as part of the “Standard of Care” in military clinical (VA and military hospitals) as well as programs in community settings across the country.

It was developed from the work of a roundtable meeting were participants were charged with recommending a framework for a “blueprint for action”, outlining possible strategies that will be necessary over the next several years in order to expand the use of the arts across the military continuum: from military service pre-deployment, deployment, post-deployment to veterans as well as families and caregivers.

The Roundtable held on November 15, 2012 brought together a group of concerned and dedicated military, government, private sector and nonprofit leaders gathered at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC for the Arts & Health in the Military National Roundtable.  The Roundtable was hosted by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, VSA and the Kennedy Center, and co-chaired by Robert L. Lynch, president & CEO, Americans for the Arts and Anita B. Boles, executive director, Global Alliance for Arts & Health (formerly the Society for Arts in Healthcare).

The Arts & Health in the Military National Roundtable represents the second step in the ongoing development of the multi-year National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military.

Funding for The Arts: A Promising Solution to Meeting the Challenges of Today’s Military—A Summary Report and Blueprint for Action provided by The David Rockefeller Fund.