Wait a minute. We’re first?
Georgia is the first state in the nation to pass a statewide legislative measure linking the arts to improved mental health outcomes.
Usually, Georgia ranks at the bottom when it comes to per-capita funding for the arts – an embarrassing fact for a state that enjoys promoting itself as a hub for the creative economy.
Yet House Resolution 1007 was passed during this legislative session with bipartisan support. It was co-sponsored by three House Democrats (Kim Schofield, D-Atlanta/College Park; Mary Margaret Oliver D- Decatur; and Lydia Glaize D-Fairburn) and three House Republicans (Todd Jones, R-South Forsyth; Katie Dempsey R-Rome; and Angie O’Steen R-Ambrose).
The resolution stated: “the essential role of artists, arts organizations, art therapists, and arts for health initiatives in supporting recovery from trauma, addressing mental health concerns and conditions, building community resilience and increasing public safety.”
As a resolution, there was no provision for appropriation of funds or implementing a tangible program.
But Alex Rodriguez, a research associate from the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine, celebrated Georgia’s move.
“The resolution… now stands as the first statewide legislative measure in the United States explicitly centered on leveraging the arts to address mental health,” Rodriguez said in a blog post. “Georgia’s move may seem minor, but it signals an important shift in how policymakers are beginning to consider arts engagement as a legitimate public health strategy rather than an add-on.”
Rodriguez went on to say the future policy implications are compelling.
“The resolution in itself immediately establishes a legislative measure while also building the foundation for future funding and appropriations,” she said.
Emerging out of the Healing Arts Atlanta, an effort championed by State Rep. Kim Scofield and Marcel Foster, CEO and co-founder of Performance Hypothesis. HR 1007 is a result of several years of focus.
When the first attempt to pass a resolution failed, they regrouped and broadened their outreach. The core partners included BLKHLTH (Khadijah Ameen), the Carter Center (Sarah Phillips), the Woodruff Arts Center – including the Atlanta Symphony (Erin Jones) and the Alliance Theatre (Chris Moses) as well as artists and mental health advocates. South Arts (Doug Shipman) and others joined in the cause later.
“It’s been a fun project,” said State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur), one of the co-sponsors of the resolution. “I was really surprised with the energy that came from this group.”
Oliver said that while Georgia usually ranks dead last when it comes to public financial support for the arts, studies have shown the arts have a greater economic impact than soybeans and peanuts. She said she would love to see state leaders focus more on supporting the arts.
But she applauded the passage of HR1007 in mid-February.
“It is an encouraging resolution,” she said. “And it’s very much a vehicle we can use.”
Foster, who also serves as a faculty member with the University of Florida’s Center for Arts and Medicine, has been working at the intersection of mental health, civic issues and the arts through Atlanta-based Performance Hypothesis.
“I’m optimistic this will lead to increased mental health resources across the state,” Marcel Foster said. “What’s happening nationally and internationally is a movement demonstrating how the arts measurably improve mental health.”
The passage of this legislation, along with two other initiatives, can put Georgia at the forefront when it comes to brain health and the arts.
Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, helped launch the Georgia NeuroArts Coalition last October.
“I’m very excited the House has acknowledged there’s a link between the arts and mental health,” Moddelmog said in an interview. “Nobody is acting as though the arts is the full solution, but we have learned through research is that the arts can help with mental health. There’s hard science behind this.”
Moddelmog said 11 communities have been selected to be part of the NeuroArts Coalition, which explores and leverages ways the arts can improve brain health, whether it be for children, aging adults or everyone in between.
“Nationwide, there are 11 places chosen around the country, from Seattle to Atlanta, that are part of the NeuroArts Coalition,” Moddelmog said. “We were chosen as one of the 11. We called ours the Arts and Health Laboratory. We are working with arts organizations, universities and communities across the state of Georgia.”
Meanwhile, the Georgia Research Alliance has been exploring ways to make the state an even more important leader in the fields of brain health research, which includes autism and Alzheimer’s. Earlier this year, GRA released a report on ways Georgia could leverage its assets and encourage greater collaboration among entities across the state.
“We are so fortunate to have all the universities and research institutions in Atlanta and Georgia,” said Moddelmog, who has been meeting with Tim Denning, GRA’s president, on ways to interface with the Georgia NeuroArts Coalition.
It’s a matter of connecting the dots, Moddelmog said of the possibilities of aligning the efforts behind HR1007, the Neuro Arts Coalition of Georgia and brain health research.
“This is an opportunity. We can make it happen,” Foster said. “The House resolution is the first domino.”
