2026 a2ru Conference: “How We Thrive: Arts, Health and Human Flourishing”

The a2ru national conference is an opportunity for practitioners and researchers from across higher education to share innovations and perspectives in the arts. a2ru advances the full range of arts- and design-integrative research, curricula, programs, and creative practice to acknowledge, articulate, and expand the vital role of higher education in our global society. a2ru’s work, in partnership with an international network of leading higher education institutions, allies, and partners, envisions a world in which universities—students, faculty, and leaders—explore, embed, and integrate the arts in everyday practice and research.

Theme: 

This year’s theme, “How We Thrive: Arts, Health and Human Flourishing,” explores the many ways that the arts can drive health and wellness for individuals and communities. The rapidly expanding, international field of arts in health has established foundational research and continues to innovate across disciplines and in a range of clinical and community settings.

Creative faculty are leading interdisciplinary teams focused on elevating health and wellbeing among individuals and within communities across social-ecological systems. The arts as a driver of health comes in many forms, along a spectrum from organic community experiences to clinical interventions. New insights into the way arts experiences can reshape our minds, impacting the ways we feel, think and act, require broad collaboration among scientists, artists, technologists, clinicians and the communities they serve.

As we innovate at the intersection of arts and health, we must also attend to the health of the arts. In this moment of disruption and uncertainty for the arts and higher education, how can we promote healthy arts and arts-integrative practices and programs? How do we continue to move our research and creative work forward? How do we keep ourselves, our students, and our communities well while doing good work?