In today’s fast-paced, social media-driven world, important public health messaging can be drowned out by distractions and misinformation. But arts and culture organizations are uniquely positioned to cut through the noise. Through film, murals, community art projects, street fairs and so much more, these groups use culture and art to convey essential health information while entertaining and inspiring audiences.
The CDC Foundation aims to help boost these efforts. From December 2021 to October 2022, the CDC Foundation partnered with 30 arts and culture organizations in 18 states, primarily to raise awareness and acceptance of the COVID-19 and flu vaccines. See the impact these organizations have had on their communities.
Will you partner with us today?
The CDC Foundation is proud to partner with arts organizations on public health projects that promote healthier communities. We have managed successful partnerships with 30 arts and culture organizations to share essential public health messages with local communities—and we can make a difference in so many more communities with your support. Give today to ensure that a wide network of partners is able to access resources to help build the capacity of arts and culture organizations interested in focusing on public health messaging through the arts. When you join with other individuals and organizations, we can have incredible impact and ensure that we reach and help protect more people through the arts!
For more information about partnership opportunities, please contact the Advancement department at advancement@cdcfoundation.org or by phone at 404.653.0790.
Organizations and Projects We've Supported
Because they work within the communities they serve, community-based organizations (CBOs) have a deep understanding of both local health needs and the best ways to communicate public health messaging. CBOs supported by the CDC Foundation take their messages to their communities through creative and impactful outreach designed to resonate with the audiences they serve.
Some examples of this outreach:
Independent Theater: The Mold That Changed the World
The CDC Foundation has proudly supported the groundbreaking musical “The Mold that Changed the World,” which educates about the growing problem of anti-microbial resistance due to the overuse of antibiotics. The CDC Foundation helped bring this musical event to the United States, with performances taking place in Washington, DC, and Atlanta, GA, in Fall 2022—featuring local scientists and health professionals as part of the chorus alongside the regular cast.
The Barn Quilt Project: South Dakota Strong
The Barn Quilt Project: South Dakota Strong has reached nine communities across South Dakota, including both tribal reservations and rural areas with lower vaccination rates and predominantly white populations. Quilt making is a cross-cultural tradition in South Dakota that represents comfort, home and family, and handmade barn quilts are popular throughout the state. Participants reflect on the years of the pandemic and create individual geometric barn quilt designs, a tool The Barn Quilt Project uses to connect familiar symbols and self-written narratives of resilience to trusted messengers for vaccine information.
Out of Hand Theater: “The Time Has Chosen Us”
Out of Hand Theater's Vaccine Confidence Program, “The Time Has Chosen Us,” is a community engagement program inspired by the message of late Congressman John Lewis, who said: “We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us.” The program brought together artists to create a film based on interviews with community focus groups around barriers that rural citizens of Georgia face when accessing COVID-19 vaccines. The resulting narrative film, “Comfort,” reflected the differing viewpoints and concerns that many people have experienced in dealing with COVID-19. The film was followed by an educational video that dispelled myths about the COVID-19 vaccines and provided accurate information about the virus through take away cards and an electronic survey to direct individuals to resources and relevant information.
Migrant Clinician's Network: Picture This/Imagínate Esto
Picture This/Imagínate Esto is a ‘Photovoice’ project that works with the Latino/a/x population in Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties in northern California to create photographic representations of COVID-19’s impact on daily living. The project uses photography and narrative from its local participants to deepen our understanding of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and to develop messages to help improve vaccine acceptance among the target population.