I missed the June conference in Massachussetts; it looks like the Arts for Social Healing Conference was both a success and a special time for participants, with gobs of creativity.

The event was organized June 10 by the Zing Foundation – which seeks to promote connections and collaboration in the social arts domain – and sought to explore three principle domains of work:

• Arts for Reconciliation and Civic Dialogue
• Arts for Community Development
• Arts for Civic Engagement and Social Action

These themes were explored in five different kinds of conference forum formats:

• Performance Art. Local performance and music
• Group Dialogues. Informal discussions about what participants are up to, how they can help each other, etc
• Field Building Workshops. Expert-led discussions around defining the field, creating effective partnerships, funding the field, and promoting the field.
• Visual Arts Explorations. Exhibitions of what local arts groups are doing to join visual arts with social healing
• Solo Adventures. Self-guided multi-media tours through the world of social healing arts.

You can learn more about this vibrant, growing network of artists in the Northeast as well as their programs at SocialHealingArts.org.