COSACOSA's Art and Health initiative, the Healing Art Project, is a nationally recognized program bringing individuals living with and without disabilities together to create public art. Hailed as a Best Practice model by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Healing Art Project advances healthy behaviors, allows new chances for city residents of differing abilities to learn about each other, and provides all Philadelphia citizens with meaningful opportunities to create art.

The Healing Art Project reaffirms the time-honored role of the artist in sustaining the health of the community. For over twenty years, COSACOSA has created unique integrated learning experiences at local community centers – and in healthcare facilities nationwide – for individuals facing serious illnesses and/or living with disabilities.

All Healing Art Project participants experience physical or financial barriers. Nearly all are from low income households at or below poverty level; one third live with permanent disabilities. Working together, our participants empower each other to be responsible and proactive citizens, to develop new strategies for overcoming obstacles, and to understand their potential contribution to society is not limited by differing ability or economic disadvantage.

Through the Healing Art Project, COSACOSA also develops patient-centered artwork and wayfinding designs for health-related organizations across the country. All of COSACOSA's multi-dimensional, site-specific creations
are accomplished through hospital patient, family, and staff collaboration with professional artists. Our interior design plan for St. Christopher's Hospital for Children (images to the right) transformed a stark, white facility into warm and welcoming environment.

The Healing Art Project has been featured multiple times in the series Designing the World's Best Children's Hospitals, published by the National Association of Children's Hospitals, and in the National Endowment for the Arts quarterly magazine.

Please email info[at]cosacosa.org if you are interested in bringing the Healing Art Project to your location.
Growing at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is part of a seven-story high series of mosaics with poetry.
Young Healing Art Project mosaic artists create new artwork for the Life Skills classroom at Julia de Burgos School.
St. Christopher's Hospital for Children before and after COSACOSA's Healing Art Project design. For more images, please see our Journey project page.
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