We inspire creativity, nurture the imagination, and instill confidence in children to support their well-being.

What We Do

Bright Side Arts designs and develops hands-on, creative experiences for children and their families. Our mission is to help children learn about themselves and to process their world through creative play, artistic expression, and imagination development activities.

The Bright Side Artivity™ kit, our flagship product, is a subscription-based art and creative expression kit designed specifically for use in children’s hospitals, clinics, camps, or any place where children and teenagers can benefit from creative expression as a way to help process experiences and express feelings.

Patient Benefits

A large body of evidence-based research overwhelmingly supports the value of arts in the promotion and improvement of health benefits for patients. ¹

From increased feelings of energy and vitality to a greater sense of self-control and improved resilience to an overall reduction in depression and anxiety, art and music support the well-being of children [of all ages] who face health challenges. ²

Creative activities also facilitate problem-solving, adaptability, the flexibility of thought, and individual expression, which enable a child’s ability to cope. ²

self-directed art and creative expression can:

Reduce pain during treatments (chemotherapy

and stem cell transplants)1

Reduce fear, stress, anxiety, & depression1

Improve trust, self-image,self-esteem, communication, collaboration1

Enhance mood and compliance with medical procedures1

Empower children in the work of feeling or getting better 2

Invite a supportive and playful exchange that may humanize an otherwise sterile medical interaction2

Improve engagement of those in all cultural backgrounds1

Empower [children] in an environment where they have limited choices2

Reduce negative feelings and improves patient satisfaction1

Healthcare providers have shared that after participating in art and creative activities, patients communicate better and seem more at ease with the clinic setting.

Parents of Arts For Life participants report that the promise of the art table is often what motivates the child to get into the car for appointments.

The process of learning, creating, and expressing themselves and making friends while at the art table helps to improve the child's healthcare experience.

Our programs are created to facilitate creative expression; however, they are not, nor are they intended to be, a substitute for art therapy provided by a trained art therapist.

FOOTNOTE REFERENCES:

¹ Fancourt, D., & Finn, S. (2019). What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. WHO Regional Office for Europe.

² Rubin, S. Y. (2019). Supportive Art Making as a Therapeutic Tool for Nurses. Pediatric Nursing, 45(2), 95 -98.

Our Flagship Product

The Bright Side Artivity™ kit is a subscription-based art and creative expression kit designed specifically for use in children’s hospitals, clinics, camps, or any place where children and teenagers can benefit from creative expression as a way to help process experiences and express feelings.

Each self-contained kit contains materials and guidance to promote creative expression using a curriculum developed and used in daily practice by Arts For Life for nearly twenty years.

Artivity™ kits are process-focused, rather than results-focused, facilitating innovation and creativity without regard to a defined finished product. This deliberate approach provides flexibility and adaptability, making Artivity™ kits appropriate and engaging for a wide range of ages, from a very young child to a teenager.

Bright Side Artivity™ kits do not contain instruction booklets, but instead, include Inspiration Cards to help guide children and youth through their unique creative journeys.

Click Here For Example Kit Details

Sign up for our Mailing List

We are not accepting new Artivity™ subscribers at this time, however, we do expect to open subscriptions again in the future.

To receive periodic updates and the latest information, sign up for our mailing list here.

Contact and Interest Information:

Bright Side Arts is division of Arts For Life, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings arts education and engagement to pediatric patients and their families in children’s hospitals and clinics. Arts For Life’s primary activities include teacher-led artmaking and creative experiences. All profits from the sale of our products and services directly support Arts For Life and its mission.

For more information contact:

Katharine Phlegar Broughton

katharine@artsforlifenc.org
828-772-5339

Bright Side Arts

7 Beaverdam Rd., Ste. 207

Asheville, NC 28804

BRIGHT SIDE ARTS, BRIGHT SIDE ARTIVITY, and ARTIVITY are trademarks of Arts For Life, LLC.