ABSTRACT
The pages that follow introduce the potential of PlaceStories to serve as an online base for further community expansion, present the data that was gathered during the creation of the community, discuss growth trends in arts in healthcare, and position the field as an essential, vital part of the American cultural sector. Objectives for initiating the PlaceStories web-based community included: researching the arts in healthcare programs and resources in existence throughout the country; providing information on program typology, geographic concentrations, and growth trends; and building an interactive geographical map in an accessible format that facilitates user contributions and information exchange. The result is an interactive map that shows locations, descriptions, and program websites for over ninety programs across the United States. While that number is undoubtedly quite small when compared with the large number of organized and informal efforts that must presently exist in the United States, there were several research parameters in place to make the project more feasible within a graduate thesis timeline. For example, the research took place by using several different “arts in healthcare”-based keyword groupings and conducting internet searches
by state to find programs. Other resources, such as the State of the Field Report developed jointly by the State of the Field Committee (2009) for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Society for the Arts in Healthcare, provided lists of programs that were helpful. However, many organizations lack a substantial web presence, and it is hoped that in addition to updates through the University of Oregon Arts in Healthcare Research Consortium, practitioners will take the initiative to create profiles and put their own organizations on the map.
