The Healing Powers of Art: Reflections from the Annual AAM Meeting

The .ART team has returned from a successful AAM (American Alliance of Museums) annual meeting in Baltimore. This year’s conference theme, “Thriving Museums, Healthy Communities,” emphasized the crucial role museums play in community health and well-being. Here’s a recap of our experience and contributions at this significant event. 

Keynote Sponsorship and Highlights

Supporting the essential message of community well-being, the .ART Registry proudly sponsored the Keynote panel. The panel featured an engaging conversation with: 

• Acclaimed singer and arts advocate Renee Fleming,
• Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson,
• Reginald F. Lewis Museum Executive Director Terri Lee Freeman,
• Moderated by Susan Magsamen, author of the bestselling book “Your Brain on Art.”

Before the Keynote, newly appointed AAM President and CEO, Marilyn Jackson, addressed the packed ballroom for the first time in her new role. She introduced a short video about the .ART Registry, inviting the audience to engage with our Art Therapy Boards and attend the afternoon premiere screening of our short documentary, “The Healing Powers of Art.”  

Art Therapy Boards and ID.art Platform

Strategically placed in the conference hallways, our thought-provoking art therapy boards, powered by our innovative ID.art platform, displayed works by Medina Kasimova (Medina.art) and George Washington University art therapy students. Each piece was accompanied by a prompt question that invited attendees to contemplate the works from a personal and emotional perspective. 

Leveraging the robust ID.art platform, each artwork featured a QR code leading to a dedicated ID.art page. Here, viewers could learn more about the artwork, the stories behind them, and the artists’ personal journeys with the healing powers of art. These boards demonstrated how museums could use ID.art to make such content easily accessible, helping visitors establish a deeper connection with the artwork and exhibits. This approach interested representatives from various types of museums, including art, science, history, and music museums. 

Film Premiere: “The Healing Powers of Art” at AAM Annual Meeting

The highlight of our substantial .ART presence at AAM was the standing-room-only preview premiere of “The Healing Powers of Art” film. This was followed by a presentation on the role museums can and should play in integrating art’s therapeutic qualities into our community’s fabric as a wellness supplement, not just for entertainment and education. Our short film and presentation perfectly punctuated this year’s AAM theme. 

Engaging with Artists and Craftspeople

During the conference, we also explored the Museum Shop Association exhibition. Here, we met with various artists and craftspeople who offer their work through museum gift shops. We shared with them the advantages of our new ID.art platform and how it can augment the value of their products by issuing certificates of authenticity and contextualizing their products with videos and text, positioning their bespoke museum souvenirs as collectible works of art. 

Personal Interactions and Highlights

Personal interactions were abundant and fruitful. We were delighted to see Well of Art, one of the winners of the 2023 Digital Innovation in Art Award, promoting their educational painting software, Glaze (Glaze.art). We were also happy to meet artist Chris Wilson, whose beautifully hand-painted pianos decorated Baltimore’s Convention Center during the conference. 

Reflections and Future Aspirations

Through this unforgettable AAM experience, the .ART team was keenly reminded of the urgency and significance of our project. We are inspired and encouraged by the momentum gained around the healing powers of art. To quote our Founder and CEO, Ulvi Kasimov, “It’s time to remember that art has a therapeutic effect. It’s time to start sharing art, its practices, and its impressions to initiate the process of a global healing.”