Art Promotes a Long and Healthy Life

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Art Promotes a Long and Healthy Life

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Did you know that people who enjoy art and participate regularly in cultural activities tend to live longer? This is the conclusion of a recent study (published in the British Medical Journal) of over six thousand people aged 50 and over in England. The researchers saw an increase in longevity among people who attended plays, dance recitals, and concerts or who visited art galleries and museums. People who attended cultural events like these once or twice a month had a 31 percent increase in life expectancy!

Of course, people who are healthy, well educated, and affluent may be especially likely to participate in cultural activities. The researchers, however, accounted for people’s health (physical and mental), education, occupational status, and income in their analysis. Art appeared to increase longevity, irrespective of how well off people were when the study began.

Many studies (not just the most recent one described here) support the idea that the arts have benefits for health and wellbeing. Why would exposure to the arts help people to live longer? Art stimulates people’s thinking, produces positive emotions, and helps to reduce stress. Attending cultural events also increases people’s engagement with the larger social world. And perhaps art simply makes life richer and more interesting.

With the current shutdown of art galleries, museums, theaters, and concert halls, it is difficult for people to get their regular doses of culture. In times like these, the internet can be extremely useful. Are you missing the arts? Many museums around the world have made their collections and exhibits available online. Below are some web sites with links that allow you to see some of the world’s greatest art from the comfort of your own home. Other web sites allow you to access music, theater, dance, and poetry.

Visual Arts

https://artsandculture.google.com

https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours

https://www.timeout.com/travel/virtual-museum-tours

https://www.vermontartonline.org/virtualexhibits

https://www.vam.ac.uk

Also, if you participate in Facebook or Instagram, keep in mind that our very own Juniata College Museum of Art is posting images from the two exhibitions it had planned for this year: The Ideal and the Real from the Robert Wagoner Collection and the Senior Capstone 2020.

Music

https://operawire.com

Music program for kids with the Carnegie Hall/Savannah Music Festival collaboration:

https://musicalexplorers.savannahmusicfestival.org/welcome-to-musical-explorers-at-home/

Theatre

A list of recommendations (both free and paid):

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/theater/plays-streaming.html

Dance

https://www.dancingalonetogether.org

Poetry (April is Poetry Month)

https://www.poetryfoundation.org


Facebook Posts

Just one of the 19 amazing photos by Matthew Malkiewicz in his exhibit π‘³π’π’”π’Šπ’π’ˆ π‘»π’“π’‚π’„π’Œ 𝒐𝒇 π‘»π’Šπ’Žπ’† 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒐𝒑. The exhibit opens TONIGHT, Thursday, May 8, from 6 to 8 p.m.The exhibit is free. The exhibit is on display through Saturday, May 31. The exhibit is at the Huntingdon County Arts Center, 313 12th Street, Huntingdon, and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.#huntingdoncountyartscouncil #eastbroadtop #photography #artexhibition ... See MoreSee Less
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2 days ago

Huntingdon County Arts Council
🎻πŸͺ•Don't miss the 𝐒𝐒𝐦𝐩π₯𝐞 π†π’πŸπ­π¬ in Concert this Sunday, May 11, at 2.p.m. at the Huntingdon County Arts Center. The concert will be followed by a jam. πŸ˜€πŸŽ»πŸŽΆTickets are $20 for the general public and $16 for current Arts Council members and students (with ID). Children 12 and under are free.πŸ˜€πŸ‘‰Tickets can be purchased at the Arts Center during exhibition hours, or at the door, or online at huntingdoncountyarts.com/product/simple-gifts-concert-saturday-february-8/. πŸͺ•πŸŽΆSimple Gifts is two women plus twelve instruments equals one good time when they take the stage. Drawing on an impressive variety of ethnic folk styles, this award-winning duo plays everything from lively Irish jigs and down-home American reels to hard-driving Klezmer frailachs and haunting Gypsy melodies, spicing the mix with the distinctive rhythms of Balkan dance music, the lush sounds of Scandinavian twin fiddling, and original compositions written in a traditional style. ... See MoreSee Less
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A great new art space in Mount Union, with the grand opening of @Kari Roslund’s Studio. Congrats, Kari! ... See MoreSee Less
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🎨✨ Kids Summer Art Camps Are Back! ✨🎨 WEEK 5Join the Huntingdon County Arts Council for 5 weeks of creativity and fun this summer! Each week is a unique adventure with a different art theme β€” perfect for young artists of all skill levels.πŸ—“οΈ Monday–Friday | 9 AM – 12 PM πŸ’΅ $100 per child, per week 🎭 Sign up for one week or all five!Spaces fill up fast β€” register today and let your child’s imagination shine! 🌐 Learn more & sign up: huntingdoncountyarts.com/programs/kids-summer-art-camps/ πŸ“313 12th Street, Huntingdon, PAπŸ“ž814-643-6220 ... See MoreSee Less
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🎨✨ Kids Summer Art Camps Are Back! ✨🎨 WEEK 4Join the Huntingdon County Arts Council for 5 weeks of creativity and fun this summer! Each week is a unique adventure with a different art theme β€” perfect for young artists of all skill levels.πŸ—“οΈ Monday–Friday | 9 AM – 12 PM πŸ’΅ $100 per child, per week 🎭 Sign up for one week or all five!Spaces fill up fast β€” register today and let your child’s imagination shine! 🌐 Learn more & sign up: huntingdoncountyarts.com/programs/kids-summer-art-camps/ πŸ“313 12th Street, Huntingdon, PAπŸ“ž814-643-6220 ... See MoreSee Less
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