Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Arts of Compassion


Boston Arts Consortium for Health
The Arts of Compassion
: Perspectives on Arts and Health

On October 2, 2010, the 141st birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, experts will gather at Berklee College of Music to consider the role of compassion and the integration of the arts in healthcare. This symposium, which is open to the public, will stimulate conversation and celebrate the depth and diversity in Boston of those who teach and practice compassion through their art forms.

The Arts of Compassion will be held at the David Friend Hall of in the Berklee College of Music from 9:00am-5:00 pm.

Following the symposium, participants are invited to attend Longwood Symphony Orchestra's season-opening concert on October 2 .

A year ago, a remarkable group began meeting together at the Berklee College of Music. This group of engaged, curious and committed individuals all share an interest in the role of the arts in health care. Each month, the group gathers to hear a presentation about the remarkable work being done by one of its member organizations. BACH: Boston Arts Consortium for Health would now like to share its wealth of knowledge in the field of arts and health care with the greater Boston community.

Conference topics will include expressive arts therapy for children in Roxbury, the role of the arts in the care of people living with Alzheimer's, Longwood Symphony's LSO on Call program, and the vision of an artist/architect, The Healing Empowerment Center.

During the midday break, participants will be invited to meet practitioners from The Integrative Medicine Alliance (IMA)'s Mobile Clinic.

The IMA is committed to deepening the quality of the human experience of health care. As part of that mission, the IMA promotes the integrated practice of complementary and conventional medical practices as a means to support patients in their total healing. The Mobile Clinic was created to enable people to learn about and experience some complementary health practices. Mobile Clinic attendees can interact with complementary medical practitioners in an informal and informational setting while having a brief experience (10-15 minutes) of a variety of practices. The IMA has put on Mobile Clinics in a number of settings including medical schools and national and local health conferences.

Registration for the conference will be through Berklee College of Music. For more information and to register for the program, click here