Overview

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Well-being is not a one-size-fits-all destination, but a personal practice for staying present. This course will empower you to use art as a dynamic tool to care for yourself and your community. Engage with The Museum of Modern Art’s collection to develop a "well-being toolkit" designed to deepen your awareness, spark inspiration, and cultivate a resilient sense of purpose. You’ll gain insights from a diverse faculty of mindfulness instructors, therapists, art educators, artists, somatic practitioners, and scientists. Their collective expertise provides a kaleidoscopic perspective on the healing qualities of art. This course is built for your life and your pace. Whether you engage deeply with a single activity or skip between themes, the curriculum respects your time and curiosity. Through art, you will explore new ways to feel attuned to yourself and the world around you. By considering new perspectives and voices, you will build empathy and insights to strengthen your connection to others in both personal and professional environments. We invite you to embark on a journey where curiosity is the only requirement, and discover how art can help you feel more connected to yourself, others, and the world. Please note: This course is not therapy. While the course may feel therapeutic and includes the perspectives of therapists and practitioners in adjacent fields, it is not clinical. If you're interested in therapy of any kind, we suggest you reach out to a licensed professional or organization to find the best approach for you.

Syllabus

Welcome to Artful Practices for Well-Being

Welcome to Artful Practices for Well-Being! In this module you will consider what well-being means to you. You’ll explore how experiences with art can prompt different emotional responses and learn a technique to sift through your feelings and experiences. At the end of the module you will have an opportunity to reflect on the connection between art and well-being.

Humor, Playfulness, Curiosity

Humor, playfulness, and curiosity can be a powerful support for well-being. The ways the artists and artworks use humor, playfulness, and curiosity may inspire new ways of incorporating them into your life and help you be conscious of the impact they can have.

Compassion, Gratitude, Joy

In this module you will discover how recognizing and expressing compassion, gratitude, and joy can support your well-being and cultivate a more flexible nervous system. You’ll explore activities that you might use when gratitude and joy are difficult to access.

Dreaming, Imagining, Envisioning

In this module explore how dreaming, imagining, and envisioning can support your nervous system and help you to integrate complex ideas, thoughts, memories, and feelings in your everyday life.

Grief, Loss, Longing

This module acknowledges grief, loss, and longing in our lives and explores how we might meet ourselves with compassion. You’ll learn about artists who use different materials and forms to express grief, loss, and longing and to move through the grieving process.

Rest, Coziness, Comfort

In this module you’ll discover restful practices to incorporate into your day and different ways to bring a sense of coziness into your life. Learn to recognize the power of comfort in your life and understand when are the best times to turn toward discomfort.

Body, Somatics, Embodiment

In this module you’ll explore what it means to cultivate care for and express gentleness toward your body and others. You’ll explore strategies for deepening your relationship with your nervous system and learn some techniques for becoming more embodied in your sensations.

This is just the beginning...

This module marks the end of the course, but not the end of your exploration of Artful Practices for Well-Being. In this module, you’ll have a chance to reflect back on the themes in this course, and on whether your definition of well-being has changed. You’ll also consider ways you can continue to bring art into your daily life to support your well-being.