Welcome to Arts and Health

Arts & Health is about art. And health.
We are a new Community Project but not an "official" dA group.
We are grateful for the generous backing of Community Relations.

We are concerned not only with how art is used to show health and illness, but also with how art can be used as a vehicle for storytelling. We want to show what it's like to live with an illness (regardless of how major or minor) as a means to raise awareness not only of the condition, but also of the human spirit and endurance. At our core, human beings are brave and resilient creatures, even in the face of illness, and we want to depict this triumph while raising awareness of illnesses.

We are still ironing out the format of the group.
We plan to put together a bimonthly (perhaps moving to monthly) "e-zine" focusing on a given topic. That topic could be illness-driven (such as diabetes, cancer, allergies, mental health, or heart disease), or it may be resilience theme-driven (coping, hardships, triumphs, hope, caring for the self, etc.). Perhaps we will combine the two. This e-zine (like a fancy blog or a downloadable .pdf file) will be shared all over deviantART so that everyone will see the messages our members have to share.

Arts & Health is NOT art therapy.
We cannot guide you in the use of art to heal your illness or to help others heal.

We are also not an ordinary art collection group.
Yes, we do collect art, but it is only from members and only as it relates specifically to our theme. And, more importantly, it's not about the art itself; it's about the message that the art conveys.

Anyone can join our group!
You do not have to have an illness!
We accept everyone, whether you live with a health condition or you know or love someone who does, or neither. All are welcome in our group. Currently, we have membership open so that you only have to click "Join" to become a member. We may close that at some point, to give us a bit more control over who becomes a member; we are weighing being all-inclusive versus being considerate of the fact that this type of group can have sensitive discussions and information.

The group guidelines are simple but strictly enforced:

Respect others' opinions and work.
We all may not agree, but we can agree to disagree respectfully.

Be kind.
These are people's lives, their stories, that we are entrusted to share.

Be thoughtful with religious references.
We understand that religion is an important healing mechanism for some people. We are a non-denominational group, and we very clearly do not endorse any given faith. If a religiously-based deviation clearly relates to the subject matter (for example, having a picture of a church, temple, or synagogue with some words about how you relied on prayer to get you through your difficult hours), that is absolutely fine and welcome, but please do not proselytize. We want this to be a safe place for all.

We allow all artistic media.
Yes, this includes literature! Of course.

Only members can submit to the galleries.
Work from non-members can be submitted to the Favorites folders.

How does it relate?
We will decline work that does not clearly relate to our theme:
Health, illness, coping, and healing, and sharing stories of these.
It is very, VERY useful if you put a statement in your artist's comments about how your piece is relevant to the group and what it means for you, in particular, as you have moved forward with your life. However, this statement is not required.

The usual admonitions apply.
Art should be your own. Do not steal from other sources.
Photomanipulators, credit your sources and make sure they are legit!
Put a filter over mature content.