WAMFest 2026 ARTS In Health
Wednesday, April 8-Thursday, April 9, 2026
Fairleigh Dickinson University and ARTS By The People presents WAMFest 2026: ARTS in Health, a two-day festival of creative workshops and performances specifically designed to engage students at Fairleigh Dickinson University studying Nursing, Psychology, and Allied Health, while encouraging collaboration with students in the Arts, Communication, and Humanities and other areas of the university.
The program will also welcome regional health workers and the general public from Morris County and surrounding areas. This partnership has the potential to establish FDU’s ARTS in Health as New Jersey’s premier event at the intersection of arts and health. ARTS in Health will celebrate how the arts foster skills — such as creativity, adaptability, empathy, curiosity, attention to detail, and communication — that are essential to the field of healthcare. However, the sessions will also allow participants to build connections and community, process and express job-related stress, frustration, and despair, and expand focus and imagination. In other words, the festival will take a holistic approach to wellness. When those who steward the well-being of others take care of themselves, they are better equipped for their work.
Wednesday, April 8:
The first day of the festival will consist of three workshops led by teaching artists with experience in healthcare settings. These sessions will offer opportunities for reflection, self-expression, and reimagining wellness. The program will invite a range of artistic disciplines, including:
- Horticultural Arts
- Creative Writing
- Movement and Dance
- Visual Art
In the evening, everyone is invited to attend ARTS By The People’s monthly workshop and open mic, The Platform, held at FDU, where they will be invited to present work they’ve created during the day. With a robust following, The Platform will attract ARTS By The People’s writing community to FDU’s campus and offer students a glimpse into New Jersey’s vibrant cultural scene.
Thursday, April 9:
The second day of the program will feature two additional workshops, as well as dinner with a keynote presentation from an arts leader in the healthcare industry. Then, the festival will culminate with an interdisciplinary performance combining poetry, music, and movement.The arts and creative fields have proven to be an excellent outlet for one’s mental well-being, offering various benefits such as stress reduction, enhanced brain function, and overall improvement in empathy. In fact, research indicates that having access to artistic mediums can reduce stress hormones by 25%, improve cognitive skills in people with dementia, ease symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, and could even extend your life expectancy. This new year, ARTS By The People is establishing a new initiative called ARTS In Health, aiming to help improve the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional well-being of others through art and creativity. With programs like Stories in Motion, Memoir Writing, The PLATFORM, Horticultural Arts, and Collage Making, we are committed to supporting the health and aid of those in our community in 2026.
ARTS By The People’s / ARTS In Health initiative
Aims to bring attention to aesthetic, creative engagement, and the use of the arts for healing or social interaction in community settings, including, but not limited to:
● Veterans and their families
● Survivors of Sexual Abuse
● Grief Workshops
● Mental Health
● Older Adult Communities
● Memory Care Facilities
● Food Insecure and At Risk Communities
Our Arts In Health goals are twofold. First, to expand our programming so we can bring the healing power of the arts to more communities in New Jersey. Second, to advocate for and spread awareness of the health benefits of arts participation. We are delighted to build upon existing resources to collaborate with regional and state partners, and seek guidance from other industry leaders in the health sector to achieve our objectives.
Programs we facilitate to improve the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional well-being of our participants.
● Stories in Motion: Dance and Poetry—combines spoken word, poetry, and dance to create a uniquely interpretive and sensorial experience mixing poetry created in our workshops with choreography. Each poem/dance provides a catalyst for discussion: language, imagery, emotional embodiment, and physical interpretation.
● Memoir Writing: Writing inspired by an object that is important and dear to our writers.
● The PLATFORM: Literary Open Mic sometimes based on themes of ARTS In Health with featured guest artists working in the field.
● Horticultural Arts: Engage participants in nature-based activities including floral arranging, horticultural crafts, and modified gardening experiences that focus on stimulating the senses, memory, motor skills, and social interaction.
● Collage: Use of Shadow boxes to hold stories using the participants’ writing with photographs, fabric, magazines and found objects.
Photos of images and participants from our workshops.