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United Arts Collier Naples Florida
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Why The Arts Matter

Reflecting On The Arts

At United Arts Collier, we believe the arts matter because they connect us to people, places, and experiences we might never have encountered otherwise. Art stretches our minds and hearts, challenging us to think in new ways and helping us grow. It reflects the human experience—its joys, struggles, and complexities—allowing us to express our unique stories, ideas, and emotions. Through art, we gain empathy, find common ground, and open ourselves to new perspectives. The arts foster creativity, build communities, and inspire change, offering a powerful platform for personal and collective transformation. Ultimately, art reminds us of what truly matters: connection, expression, and the beauty of the world around us.

Roger and Paula Weatherburn-Baker

“Your efforts are a vital contribution to the quality of life in our community. Cultural life here would be less bright without the light you provide.”

Roger and Paula Weatherburn-Baker

UAC Supporters

Donna Messer

“The Arts bridge the gaps between socioeconomic diversity, culture and generations in our community, bringing us together to celebrate beauty and meaning.”

Donna Messer

UAC Ambassador

Arts And Business: Stronger Together

A thriving business environment and a vibrant arts sector go hand in hand in building strong communities. Arts-business partnerships create a competitive edge, expand market share, and convey a company’s unique values while helping foster creativity, healthier workspaces, and meaningful community engagement. Businesses benefit from the innovation, empathy, and connection that the arts cultivate, while artists and arts organizations gain valuable opportunities to contribute their skills and vision to the economic and social vitality of their communities

Key Facts:

  • Creativity is in demand: 89% of executives agree that creativity is a top skill for today’s workforce.
  • Workplace recognition: 69% of companies recognized nationally as a “best place to work” report that they foster creativity.
  • Community impact: 76% of artists and creative workers say their practice has been used to raise morale, create community cohesion, and improve community well-being—especially during times of crisis.
  • Diversity and empathy: 73% of people agree that the arts help them understand other cultures better.

Arts And Health: A Vital Connection

The arts are powerful tools for improving health and well-being. From reducing stress and anxiety to aiding in recovery, supporting suicide prevention, and enhancing quality of life, creative engagement supports both physical and mental health. Hospitals, clinics, and care facilities that integrate the arts see improved patient satisfaction, faster healing, and stronger community connections. The arts also promote empathy and resilience, making them an essential part of holistic healthcare for individuals and communities alike.

Click Below For Additional Information On Why Arts And Businesses Alliances Benefit Both:

Americans for the Arts

The PARTnership Movement

Power and Purpose

Hear from UAC scholarship recipient, the inspiring and talented Maddy Benner, about how she channels the healing power of the arts to help herself and others, even through difficult times.

My mom suggested I throw myself into the arts and use acting and singing as a way to channel my pain. I love to act and sing and it was something special I did with my dad. This is where I feel happy, safe, and whole. I feel no pain. My hope is that my story can inspire others and that it can help them bring purpose to their pain. Perhaps for them to turn to the arts, as well, to heal and bring themselves and others joy.

~ Maddy Benner

Art Helps Us:

🎨 Express what words can’t — emotions, experiences, and truths too big or too complex to explain.

🧠 Understand different perspectives and cultures — it opens our eyes to lives and stories beyond our own.

❤️ Connect with each other — sparking conversation, community, and shared meaning.

🌱 Grow personally and collectively — challenging our thinking, inspiring change, and nurturing empathy.

🌈 Beautify our surroundings — making public spaces vibrant, joyful, and full of life.

🔍 Reflect on who we are — as individuals, as a community, and as a culture.

⚡ Inspire action, hope, imagination — and remind us that creativity is at the core of innovation and progress.

✨ Live — people who engage in the arts are 31% more likely to live longer than those who don’t.

Learn more about the many research-backed benefits of the arts here and at the links below!

Arts In Health Resources

These links were provided by Dr. Jenny Baxley Lee, PhD, MA, BC-DMT, who serves as Director of the UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine program as well as a Senior Lecturer and Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist with the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine in the College of the Arts. Dr. Jenny Baxley Lee also generously serves on UAC’s Arts and Health Council.

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

How Arts Enhances Health and Well-Being: Participation in arts and cultural activities is associated with improved mental and physical health outcomes, including reduced depression and cognitive decline, and enhanced quality of life.

Read the Report Here

World Health Organization (WHO)

What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Fancourt, D., & Finn, S. (2019)

Healing, Bridging, Thriving: Summit on Community Arts and Culture

Co-hosted by the White House Domestic Policy Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, “Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities” explores how the arts can contribute to health and well-being, animate and strengthen physical spaces, fuel our democracy, and drive equitable outcomes for communities across the country.

UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine

Transforming the hospital experience for patients, visitors, caregivers, and staff and providing health and wellness through the arts within the community.

Jameel Arts and Health Lab

The Jameel Arts & Health Lab, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), is a global initiative leveraging scientific evidence, artist-led advocacy, and a global Healing Arts campaign to drive the integration of the arts in clinical and public health.

National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH)

A white paper commissioned by the National Organization for Arts in Health through the support of Houston Methodist Center for Performing Arts Medicine.

Mass Cultural Council

Investing in social prescribing programs that include arts activities yields a return of $4.43 in healthcare savings for every dollar spent.

Read the Report Here

White House Executive Order to Promote the Arts and Humanities

The order re-establishes a committee to advise the President and the heads of the three U.S. cultural agencies—the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)—on policy objectives, philanthropic and private sector engagement, and other efforts to enhance federal support for the arts, the humanities, and museum and library services.

UF Center for Arts in Medicine EpiArts Lab

The EpiArts Lab at the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine is a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Research Lab and a partnership between the UF Center for Arts in Medicine and University College London’s Social Biobehavioral Research Group. Click here for a listing of EpiArts Lab Publications.

Social Prescribing / Arts Prescribing Field Guide

Arts on prescription refers to any program in which health – and social care providers are enabled to prescribe arts, culture, or nature experiences to patients or clients in order to support their health and well-being.

Healing Arts Atlanta

Through museum collaborations, live performances, research seminars, practical workshops, and more, Healing Arts Atlanta brought communities together around the potential of the arts to not only address racism as a public health crisis, but to do something about it.

Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance

This repository contains information for anyone who wants to understand more about or develop creative or cultural practice that relates to health and wellbeing. It includes inspirational manifestos, helpful toolkits, and guides to what evidence is already out there, and how to evidence your own work.

Additional Arts In Health Resources

Arts And Community Health

Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ)

Engagement in arts programs is linked to positive social behaviors and a decreased likelihood of delinquency among at-risk and justice-involved youth.

Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance

This repository contains information for anyone who wants to understand more about or develop creative or cultural practice that relates to health and wellbeing. It includes inspirational manifestos, helpful toolkits, and guides to what evidence is already out there, and how to evidence your own work.

Economic Impact Studies

Collier Arts Archives

Why The Arts Matter

Florida Council