Scottsdale Arts Explores The Healing Properties Of Art With New Exhibition

Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, a department of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts, will exhibit “ArtRx: The Mind-Body Connection” to explore the healing qualities of arts engagement through music, visual art, poetry, dance and architecture.

The new exhibition opens Oct. 17 and will remain on display through Jan. 5, 2025, at the Center Space gallery inside Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E 2nd St., Scottsdale, Arizona 85251. 

“ArtRx” is connected to “Brians and Beauty: At the Intersection of Art and Neuroscience,” an exhibition located inside Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. While “Brains and Beauty” is based on the concept of neurological responses to aesthetic experience, while “ArtRx” is specifically about how arts engagement is used in medicine to help people feel better. 

“I felt like we needed the space to talk about these issues because Scottsdale Arts wants to be a leader in the field of arts and wellness,” said Laura Ramson Hales, curator of learning and innovation. “We provide aesthetic experiences for our patrons through performances, visual art and workshops. It's nice to be able to tell our patrons that not only is experiencing the arts enjoyable, but it's also very good for you.” 

Each healing arts discipline will be given a section in the gallery, creating a large collaboration between experts around the Valley. Some of the organizations involved in “ArtRx” include Ballet Arizona, Academy of Neuroscience in Architecture and the Arizona State University School of Music. 

Melita Belgrave, associate professor of music therapy at Arizona State University, has also been involved in “ArtRx” with her expertise on music and sound as a healing practice.  

“It was wonderful to be a thought partner and collaborator with Laura on the exhibition,” Belgrave said. “I was delighted to develop the playlists and assist with prompt developments for the interactive portions of ‘ArtRx.'” 

Alongside curating exhibitions, Hales has also managed Memory Lounge — an arts-based program for people with mild to moderate memory loss and their care partners — for eight years. Hales first learned about the connections between art and healing through Memory Lounge, where she saw it firsthand. 

“Caregivers have said that their partners look forward to the Memory Lounge program and that it's something that they really enjoy,” Hales said. “It lightens the mood for both caregiver and loved one. It's also a very social environment, where people get to meet others who are in similar situations, and I've seen real friendships have formed.” 

Now, Hales is expanding that mission of health and wellness into her exhibitions, beginning with “Coming to Terms” in 2023, including patron interaction by allowing visitors to match the emotion they feel to the artwork they see. “ArtRx” grows on this concept, creating the most interactive exhibition Hales has ever curated. 

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