Youth Art For Healing

Youth Art For Healing is a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring works of art created by youth into healthcare environments to provide a sense of comfort, inspiration and healing for patients and their loved ones, and healthcare professionals. Jan Papirmeister Executive Director Jan Papirmeister is passionate about bringing works of art created by youth into healthcare environments. A registered nurse and an artist, Jan believes in caring for the whole person and deeply understands the power of art to inspire, comfort and heal. Her nursing experience includes pediatrics, hospice, home health, school health and cancer care navigation. While working as a pediatric nurse, Jan would draw with her patients when time allowed. As a school nurse, she made art supplies available for students to create drawings that decorated the walls of the health office. While supporting people living with cancer, Jan was inspired to bring comforting art into the oncology unit, and received a Society for the Arts in Healthcare consultancy grant focused on art carts with supplies for patients, their families and staff. Jan received her first art commission at age 11 years, donated her artworks to a camp for children with cancer, a hospice volunteer organization, and an environmental nonprofit, and sold notecards with her designs of marine life, historic college buildings and private homes. As a Fisher House volunteer, Jan coordinated an art project with a Walt Whitman High School art teacher and her students who created beautiful paintings that were installed in two Fisher Houses at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Jan’s experiences have strengthened her passion and commitment to bring uplifting art created by young people into healthcare environments to comfort, inspire and heal patients, their loved ones, and the staff who care for them.

YOUTH ART FOR HEALING PARTNERS AND WORKS CLOSELY WITH HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS AND SCHOOLS, AND NURTURES THE CREATIVITY AND EMPATHY OF STUDENTS WHO CREATE HEALING WORKS OF ART FOR PERMANENT INSTALLATIONS IN HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENTS. PHASE I Youth Art For Healing partners with healthcare organizations to select artwork locations and brainstorm content, measurements, themes and the total number of works of art. Project lists of artworks are developed in collaboration with our healthcare partners. After projects are reviewed and approved by our healthcare partners, an agreement is signed. YAFH distributes project lists to art coordinators in school districts in the Washington Metropolitan Area. PHASE II Art teachers contact YAFH with interest in participating with their students in our program. Projects are assigned to art teachers in September for completion by their students in March. A presentation provided by YAFH for art teachers and their students, covers the following: Youth Art For Healing’s mission The nature of healing art Power of art to inspire, comfort and heal The healthcare organizations requesting works of art Benefits of bringing the arts into healthcare environments Project details (healthcare location, medium, theme, content, measurements and total number of artworks). YAFH provides students with canvases, brushes, and paints (for some schools, these resources are rare). YAFH Art Advisors oversee and critique sketches and works of art to expand students' artistic development and enhance the final product, encourage compassion and empathy, and promote community giving. Students complete their works of art and provide artist statements about the meaning and inspiration behind their art and how this experience has made a difference in their lives. PHASE III An Art Show is hosted by YAFH for students, families, art teachers, school staff, YAFH partners, donors and supporters to view the works of art and celebrate the students. The students’ works of art are promoted through media and other social media platforms. YAFH delivers the students' works of art to our healthcare partners and assists with installation. YAFH depends on the generosity of individuals, charitable organizations, government agencies, and corporations to accomplish its mission.