Healing Arts is a global campaign by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab in collaboration with the World Health Organization
Tuesday 23 September 2025 Federal Reserve Bank of New York
A roundtable held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to explore the economic opportunities of the arts & health sector
This roundtable will examine emerging opportunities and the economic impact of arts and health with a particular emphasis on the expanding field of social prescribing. Building on a recent Frontiers Economics report prepared for the UK Department for Culture, Media & Sport —co-authored by Lab Steering Committee Chair Professor Daisy Fancourt—which found that culture and heritage engagement delivers £18 billion in annual value for health and wellbeing, the discussion will also incorporate new U.S.-based evidence.
AARP, in partnership with the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative, commissioned an independent economic analysis by Deloitte demonstrating that music engagement for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers yields significant benefits. The report found that the economic value of incorporating music engagement in the care of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias is between $5.1 billion and $11.9 billion annually.
Together, these findings strengthen the case for embedding arts engagement into health and social care systems, particularly through social prescribing models that link individuals to non-clinical interventions. By connecting the dots between cultural participation, health equity, and economic value, this roundtable aims to catalyze policy and investment pathways that recognize the arts as a core component of public health. The Roundtable will be chaired by Dr. Jill Sonke, Cultural Policy Fellow, Stanford University and Affiliate Researcher with the Jameel Arts & Health Lab.
