Public Art as Public Health: The Role of Visual Art in Hospitals

About the Panel Discussion

Drawing on findings from the Hospital Murals Evaluation (HoME), the largest international study of murals in hospitals, co-led by NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine and an international team at the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, and grounded in the lived experience of artists working in hospital spaces, this panel traces a through line from evidence to policy, and from Champanier's 1938 WPA-commissioned Alice of Wonderland Visiting New York mural and Keith Haring's iconic gift to Woodhull Hospital, to the evidence-informed, community-shaped care environments we are building today.  

This panel brings together researchers, policymakers, clinicians, artists, and philanthropists to imagine the hospital of the future, one where the arts are a vital and normal part of quality care. 
 

Event Schedule

• 6:30 PM: Doors Open
• 6:45 PM: Dance performance
• 7:00 PM: Opening Remarks
• 7:10 PM: Panel Discussion
• 8:00 PM: Light refreshments 
   

Welcome Remarks

• Zoe Costanzo, Chief Development Officer, Museum of the City of New York
• Stephen Stapleton, Founding Co-Director of Jameel Arts & HealthLab and Founder & CEO of EOA CULTURUNNERS
• Rick Luftglass, Executive Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
   

Panel

• Diya Vij, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs
• Ebony Bolt, Digital artist and illustrator
• Nisha Sajnani, Professor and Director of the NYU Steinhardt Graduate Program in Drama Therapy, Founding Director of the Arts& Health at NYU, and Co-Director of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab
• Melinda Šefčić, PhD, Visual artist, researcher, and educator
• Dr. Maryann Julia Popiel MD, CPE, FAPA, Chairperson of Behavioral Healthcare Services for the Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital healthcare system and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
   

Moderator

• Larissa Trinder, Assistant Vice President of NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine
   

Performance By

• Mai Lê Hồ, Dance artist, curator, and educator
   

Diya Vij was appointed as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs by Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani in February 2026. In this role, she oversees cultural funding for more than 1,000 non-profit arts and culture organizations across the five boroughs and directs cultural policy for the City of New York. Over the past decade, she has held programming, curatorial, and communications positions at major New York City Institutions. 

Larissa Trinder is the Assistant Vice President of NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine. She is responsible for stewarding NYC Health + Hospitals’ collection of more than 8,000 works of art, the largest such collection in New York City, as well as creating and implementing programs for patients, staff and the community that utilize the arts as a tool in healing. 

Rick Luftglass is the Executive Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. He's a seasoned philanthropy professional who has worked in the private, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. He began his career in New York City cultural nonprofits, with a particular focus on jazz and immigrant cultures. 

Stephen Stapleton is the Founding Co-Director, Jameel Arts & Health Lab and Founder & CEO, EOA CULTURUNNERS. He has produced over 50 international exhibitions, including at the Brooklyn Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Bates College Museum of Art, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Smithsonian Institute, The Kennedy Center, Venice Biennale, Royal Geographical Society, Arab American National Museum, United Nations and the British Museum. 

Ebony Bolt is a visionary digital artist and illustrator whose compelling work explores the rich intersections of human experience and intricate textile aesthetics. A proud alumna of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship for the Fashion and Design Industries and an Associate in Applied Science in Fashion Illustration, Bolt’s distinctive practice is underpinned by a deep understanding of design, form, and market dynamics. 

Dr. Maryann Julia Popiel MD, CPE, FAPA, is Chairperson of Behavioral Healthcare Services for the Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital healthcare system and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. A board-certified psychiatrist and Certified Physician Executive, she has dedicated almost four decades to advancing clinical excellence, medical education, quality improvement, and behavioral health leadership. 

Nisha Sajnani (she/her) is Professor and Director of the NYU Steinhardt Graduate Program in Drama Therapy, Founding Director of the Arts & Health at NYU, and Co-Director of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, established in collaboration with the World Health Organization. 

Melinda Šefčić, PhD, is a Croatian visual artist, researcher, and educator specialising in Arts & Health and the humanisation of healthcare environments through visual art. She is the concept author, Art Director, and researcher of the Creative Europe project Healing Nature – Animation for Health and Well-being in Children's Hospital Environments, recognised by the European Commission as a good practice in Culture & Health: Time to Act. 

Mai Lê Hồ is a French-Vietnamese dance artist, curator, and educator based in NYC. She is the Founding Director of LayeRhythm Productions, Inc, a nonprofit platform rooted in street and club dance cultures that unites freestyle dancers, live musicians, and audiences through improvisational, community-centered experiences. 

This event is included as part of UNGA Healing Arts Week, a New York City-wide celebration of arts and health during the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly, produced by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab in collaboration with the World Health Organization.