Arts Matter: Let’s be a creative wave

Image from the video below

Recently I had the great pleasure of being at Parliament for the Arts Foundation: Arts for All Breakfast, where speakers from across the Wellington region presented on their art form and creative experiences and why art matters.

I came away feeling very clear about how we can be the creative wave, that everyone should hear these speeches, they were wonderful, be empowered to keep on keeping on, you are making a change for creative good, we are changing the tide, more people than ever believe in the power of arts, everyone should see the video below and strengthen our community purpose to share the creative arts message across Aotearoa.

You can listen to the speeches from Wellington and other regions here. They go for 5 minutes at a time, listen to them like podcasts.

The evidence is in! In collaboration with Chartwell Trust, we’re unpacking the research behind the undeniable impact of the arts in Aotearoa New Zealand – as if we had any doubt.

Backed by over 3000 scientific studies from around the world, here’s the facts on how creativity creates positive change to our physical, emotional and spiritual worlds.

Spoiler alert:

- Arts rich schools have better results in numeracy and literacy
- 82% of parents say being creative makes them feel ‘good’ or ‘excellent'
- People in Aotearoa are feeling more positive about the arts than ever before
+ So much more

Special thanks to Professor Peter O’Connor and The Centre for Arts and Social Transformation (CAST) team for their mahi in bringing together this research, and McCarthy Design for translating it so beautifully.

Find out more at chartwell.org.nz or thearts.co.nz