ACA Arts & Wellness Academy
Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) offers professional development that is driven by a mission focusing on multidisciplinary collaboration and mentorship. Since 2015, ACA Arts & Wellness ambassadors working in Central Florida have developed a shared culture and experiential method that connects the arts to community health. Together, these practitioners lead the Academy to share their knowledge and experience with everyone, including teaching artists, community leaders, and healthcare professionals. The Academy teaches field-tested techniques and best practices in a unique academic forum. During this intensive program, participants will learn ACA’s organizational culture of public engagement that can be applied to everyone who believes creativity is the key to healthy living. The vision of this Academy is to advocate social engagement, experiential learning, and creative thinking using the arts to define a holistic path to improve physical, mental and behavioral conditions. No experience is necessary, only a willingness to hold safe space for others and facilitate meaningful community connections.
The annual, in person Academy will be held at ACA’s main campus in New Smyrna Beach, and an online curriculum is also available for those who cannot visit with us in person:
- In-Person Academy – 3 days with ACA artist ambassadors, community networking, experiential workshops, consultation, and access to all online content. Our next in-person Academy is an overnight retreat at ACA: September 11-13, 2025, including accommodation and gourmet meals in a wilderness sanctuary!
Register at Eventbrite - Virtual Academy – Over 10 hours of video lectures, experiential workshops, and reading resources available at your pace of learning. This curriculum features local and regional practitioners of creative workshops in their community, ranging from healthcare professionals who love the arts to artists who understand the power of the arts to heal. Click below to enroll:
The Academy shares:
- The ACA Five Phases of an Arts & Wellness Experience (guiding method for facilitating creative group connection).
- How to design programs for diverse audiences and facilitate arts experiences in wellness.
- How facilitators can enhance listening skills to create a restorative setting.
- Ways to offer creative tools for resilience.
- Approaches to reframe challenges as opportunities.
- The cyclical process of integrating research and mentorship into programs for your community.
About the Initiative:
In 2012, Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) established its cutting-edge Arts & Wellness initiative that reaches out to all generations by connecting community health to the arts. With generous support from foundations and donors, ACA is at the forefront of producing innovative resources in the field of arts and health. With initial support from the National Center for Creative Aging, ACA has expanded its Arts & Wellness initiative to serve the needs of the Central Florida community. These programs improve mental and physical health, offer creative solutions to overcome age and disability discrimination, prevent loneliness and isolation, and support healthy living from a holistic perspective. ACA works with a dedicated team of community artists, music therapists, art therapists, and volunteers to establish ongoing dynamic programs to increase the health and wellness of elders, caregivers, veterans, active adults, youth, and artists. These Arts & Wellness ambassadors advocate for accessibility and inclusion by supporting people of every generation to explore their “inner artists” and learn from one another.
ACA local Arts & Wellness programs include:
- Veteran and elder-care outreach programs that incorporate poetry, painting, music, and movement to encourage mental stimulation, socialization, and manage chronic pain.
- Creative resources that assist caregivers and care partners in facing specific challenges as they navigate this phase of life.
- Youth outreach programs that relieve stress, build self-esteem and strengthen social relationships in lower-income communities, youth in foster homes, and wider populations of at-risk youth in Volusia County.
- Public workshops and retreats, including intuitive painting, expressive journaling, movement and dance, puppetry, music for the mind, and creative writing.
- ACA Arts & Wellness Academy customized seminar for healthcare professionals, teaching artists, community program coordinators and educational institutions.
- Internship opportunities for medical, arts, science, and psychology students.
Learn more about our artists at https://atlanticcenterforthearts.org/community/aca-community-artist/
Please contact us to find out more about joining a program, or custom opportunities for your organization. community@atlanticcenterforthearts.org | (386) 427-6975 x30
Thank You to our Arts & Wellness Sponsors !
