Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies

Laying the Foundation: Grounding Perspectives of Leadership at the Inception of a National Arts and Health Initiative

Gray Davidson Carroll

University of Florida

Alexandra K. Rodriguez

University of Florida

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9254-3392

Jill Sonke

University of Florida

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9232-793X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/ijps.v12i1.6463

Keywords: Arts in public health, arts-based research, inter-organizational ethnography, ethnographic research, civic imagination, cross-sector collaboration

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Abstract

As the field of public health continues to shift toward a health paradigm that emphasizes cultural-level change, interdisciplinary strategies to advance health equity should be at the forefront. The arts sector offers rich perspectives for this form of innovation. As cross-sector interdisciplinary initiatives that employ the arts continue to rise in prominence to address national public health issues, there is an emerging need to understand how diverse teams envision and coalesce around shared goals. This study aimed to delve into the lived experiences, prior beliefs, and project visions of the leadership of the One Nation, One Project (ONOP) initiative – a national research and civic collaboration – to offer insight and guidance for future arts-based interdisciplinary work of scale. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 project leaders. After transcription, a thematic analysis process was utilized to code the data as the research questions focused on lived experiences, perspectives, and social constructions. Seven themes, and twenty-eight subthemes were identified. Across interviews, the leaders spoke of their belief in the power of art to transform and heal, and the need to uphold equity and community partnership throughout the project. This study adds to a growing body of research exemplifying the need for and value of arts integration across disciplines and showcases the power of cross-disciplinary action to catalyze social change. Learnings from this study and the broader ONOP initiative can spark further interdisciplinary civic imagination as they provide a framework to understand the advantages of alignment with personal purviews and overall project goals, regardless of disciplinary background.