University Medical Center partnered with the Birmingham-based Flourish Alabama to host Art and Healing: Stories of the Black Belt, a free community event open to the public to raise health awareness through storytelling and art.
The Art and Healing event featured music, poetry performances, storytelling sessions where attendees could share their health journeys, and free health screenings. The event, held at UMC in Tuscaloosa on Aug. 23, created a welcoming space for community members to explore their health and well-being through art.
Flourish Alabama is a nonprofit organization that showcases young artists through workshops, collaborative projects and community events.
“Art plays a major role when it comes to our health and our healing, especially mental health,” said Jahman Hill, executive director of Flourish Alabama. “With the help of University Medical Center, we provided a space for people to share how they’re feeling and learn about the different health resources available.”
“I connected with Jahman last year and learned they work with The University of Alabama,” said Dr. Robbin Young, UMC’s chief nursing officer and event coordinator. “We had a long conversation about how the arts connect with health care. Using individual stories and testimonies helps people talk about their health care experiences. We thought it was important to bring an event like this together, where people could engage in artistic expression.”
Young said she hopes to have UMC host more events like this in Alabama’s rural communities.
For more information about Flourish Alabama, visit theflourishal.com.