Oklahoma Arts Council Summit Cites Power of Collaboration in Arts and Health

In late May, the Oklahoma Arts Council brought together the nation's leading experts in arts and health for the 2026 Oklahoma Arts and Health Summit in Oklahoma City, making the case for creativity and detailing why it's not just good for the soul, it's good medicine.

Oklahomans across professional backgrounds—nurses, fitness instructors, dance teachers, library directors, city planners, symphony directors, health and human service providers, and more—were convened by the Oklahoma Arts Council, with the power of collaboration a theme throughout the day.

Led by a keynote by Dr. Tasha Golden, a singer/songwriter turned behavioral scientist who speaks nationwide about creativity's role in wellbeing and innovation, the summit featured more than a dozen presenters and panelists. Among the topics were mental health, aging, neuroscience, national trends, veterans services, and hospital-based residencies. 

"Artists are the luminous thread in the tapestry of care," is how Dr. Jenny Baxley Lee described the findings of her work as Director of the University of Florida Health Shands Arts in Medicine. 

Dr. Naj Weikoff, cofounder of the National Organization for Arts in Health, shared about his work in a community where youth were struggling with mental health. Weikoff cited how the arts helped reduce suicide rates.

Through the arts, "we changed kids actions about themselves...they mattered, they felt heard." said Weikoff.

A structured debriefing session capped the day, giving participants space for discussing key takeaways and identifying next steps for their work at the intersection of arts and health in Oklahoma.

View the photo album from the summit.

 View the new Oklahoma Creative Aging Initiative video.

The summit was made possible in part with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET).