The Women’s and Children’s Health Center at Door County Memorial Hospital would like to remind the public that the Art for Health workshops for children are beginning again in January. These workshops are extremely popular and space is limited so interested parents and caregivers should contact the Women’s and Children’s Center as soon as possible to reserve their spot.

The Art for Health program is a series of FREE workshops for children, ages 4-12 years old, that focus on music and art by way of performance and entertaining demonstrations. These classes strengthen each participant’s relationship with art and emphasize how creativity in a child’s life contributes to their overall health. Plus, they’re just plain old fun!

The Art for Health program was developed by Terry Lundahl, program development for the (Art of Music project) and Jenny Fischer, Director of DCMH’s Women’s and Children’s Health Center. The Art for Health program is an offshoot of the “Art of Music’s” Heart & Soul program; a program that provides programming for hospitals, schools and health care institutions. The Art of Music project is a not for profit organization that focuses on providing high quality performances and workshops by local and national touring artists.

Fischer had the following to say about the program, “When I was given the opportunity to be the Director of the Women’s and Children’s Health Center, I knew I wanted to have an arts component to our offerings here. I have a background in the music business (having run both blues and then rock clubs in Chicago in the 80’s and early 90’s) and have always been interested in the power of the arts to change people’s lives. Meeting Terry helped pull together the children’s aspect of our arts program in the WCHC.”

Each Art for Health session runs for five consecutive weeks. The first session begins January 13 and runs each Wednesday through February 10. The second session begins February 17 and runs each Wednesday through March 17. All classes will be held at the Children’s Center at Door County Memorial Hospital in Sturgeon Bay at 4:00 P.M and 6:00 P.M. Classes run approximately 1 hr each.

Each class includes a craft or project linked together with music, movement, drama and yoga. Activities for the children range from creating their own rain sticks, to painting their own masterpieces to live music, to creating short, fun skits. Most classes include “jam sessions” with popular musicians such as Dorothy Scott (lead performance facilitator), Julian Hagen, Dan Riley and Michael Bleck. Our visual arts and drama workshops are facilitated by Emily Salm and Gayle Johnson. Yoga instruction will be provided by Patti Wagner.

When asked how this somewhat unconventional undertaking fits into the mission of a hospital, Fischer answered, “It is well documented by scientific studies that art can have a physical impact on not only the quality of a life, but on the actual functioning of our immune system, healthy cell structure and both the autonomic and sympathetic nervous systems. Art can be used to help relieve stress, provide comfort during times of illness and improve children’s brain development. As our health care system demands that we re-focus our resources on maintaining wellness, this pairing makes perfect sense.”

For more information on the Art for Health program, including a full schedule of activities, click here or phone the Women’s and Children’s Center at (920) 743-3666.