Art and the Health of Populations.

Before I start today’s note, a comment that the President’s repeal of the previous administration’s guidance that protected transgender persons is an abominable abrogation of the federal government’s responsibility to protect all citizens, particularly those who may be vulnerable at any point in time. I have written previously about the health of transgender persons and the centrality of LGBT rights to the promotion of population health. It is deeply disappointing to see the federal government fall so short on its responsibilities, reminding us again about the import of the voice of public health in these troubling times.

On to today’s note. Population health is shaped by a range of economic, cultural, and environmental factors. Economic trends, political policies, climate change, the rise of social movements all have a hand in creating or undermining health. These conditions, of course, contribute to much more than health. They shape all aspects of the world we live in. They also inspire art as a representation of our world, holding a “mirror up to nature” that allows us to better understand the forces that shape the human story. A note, then, on the intersection of art and population health, and how a deeper understanding of art can make us better students of the conditions that influence the health of populations.

How have the conditions that influence population health shaped art? In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution created substantial challenges for the health of the public and also served as a rich subject for painters, writers, and poets. Overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and the spread of infectious disease led to landmark reforms like the Public Health Act of 1848; they also fueled the work of artists like Charles Dickens, Joseph Turner, and William Blake, who conjured enduring depictions of the economic and social changes that they witnessed. In novels like Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, Dickens dramatized how the effects of the Industrial Revolution victimized children and the poor. Blake also explored this theme, perhaps most poignantly in his “Chimney Sweeper” poems. Turner, for his part, illustrated the mechanization and increasingly rapid pace of the era in vivid paintings like his landscape Dudley, Worcestershire (Figure 1).

By engaging with the conditions of the period, these artists demonstrated how their changing society influenced, and often undermined, the health of populations. Dickens, in particular, was a noted advocate for marginalized and vulnerable groups. Through his art and his activism, he gave voice to the darker side of the Industrial Revolution and contributed to the groundswell of public opinion calling for needed reforms. The social conscience he articulated in his novels, which have never gone out of print, continues to influence thought and enlarge our capacity for empathy.

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Art has also long played a role in helping populations come to grips with adversity. Pablo Picasso was fully aware of this power when he set to work on the mural that was to be his response to the fascist bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. He conceived the painting as nothing less than a weapon against the destructive political forces of the pre-World War II era, confiding to the artist Dora Maar, “I know I am going to have terrible problems with this painting, but I am determined to do it—we have to arm for the war to come.” As he worked on the piece, Picasso received many visitors who came to view his progress. This was unusual for him—while he generally did not like people watching him work, he wanted to publicize the creation of Guernica as his personal contribution to the antifascist cause, and as a testament to the capacity of art to respond to, and resist, threats to social stability (Figure 3).

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In a more recent context—the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s—an artistic flourishing helped affected populations tell their stories to the wider world and forge the bonds of community that would lead to an anti-AIDS movement. From the poetry of James Merrill, to the plays of Larry Kramer and Tony Kushner, to dynamic visual pieces like Keith Haring’s 1988 Silence = Death and the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, founded by the activist Cleve Jones, the history of the AIDS crisis is also the history of a unique moment in American art.

Although we do not often explicitly articulate it, at SPH we have maintained a focus on the intersection of art and population health for some time. Last November, for example, we were able to explore the lives of our neighbors here in the South End, through the “Life on Albany” photo series, which featured the work of our Educational Technologist Liam Hunt. Also in November, our 40th Anniversary Gala was enriched by the performance of Danza Orgánica, which used dance to reflect on family trauma and mass incarceration. Our annual production of The Vagina Monologues, our BUSPH Stories event, and the artistic engagement of our faculty, students, and staff represent our further investment in art’s ability to communicate the ongoing narrative of population health.

Given the quickening pace of social and political change in recent years, and the link between art and the conditions that shape the health of populations, it seems to me that a robust engagement with the arts is all the more necessary if we are to meet the challenge that this moment presents. This Dean’s Note coincides with the launch of SPH Narrative Month, which—as I summarize in my concurrent message—aims to elevate the visibility of narrative in what we do. Each week of the month will have a theme—nonfiction, fiction, journalism, narratives, and multimedia—illuminating a different aspect of the story of population health. Our efforts on this front are all of a piece with the collective effort, frequently expressed through art, to better understand the conditions around us, so that we may work to create healthier populations.

I hope everyone has a terrific week. Until next week.

Warm regards,

Sandro
Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH
Dean and Robert A Knox Professor, Boston University School of Public Health
Twitter: @sandrogalea

Acknowledgement: I am grateful to Eric DelGizzo and to Professor Jennifer Beard for their contributions to this Dean’s Note.

Previous Dean’s Notes are archived at: /sph/tag/deans-note/