Life On Art

Arts non-profit Life on Art unites people to create art for global healing and has developed a unique scalable program fusing community artmaking, creative arts therapies and large-scale public art experiences. Based in Petaluma, CA, Life on Art partners with schools, public health facilities, and non-profit organizations working with underserved communities to empower and uplift through coming together to co-create awe-inspiring art installations. This feminist model of social change forges personal and collective empowerment through radical inclusion of underserved populations, deep collaboration, creativity, storytelling, artivism and a focus on healing through creative arts therapies. We build paper mâché winged hearts for use in installations and social actions. Our work is collaborative and connective, and it brings awareness to important social issues. The impactful public displays of the winged hearts are designed to evoke awe, compassion and to motivate others to take action to create a better world. Since 2018, Life on Art has involved the public in the creation of four large-scale installations at the Museum of Sonoma County (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022), lent their work in service for human rights at San Quentin Prison and the Sacramento Women’s March (2020), and also at the Mill Valley Music Festival (2022). Life On Art’s year-long project, Unbound, was nationally recognized by the National Organization of Arts in Health with a first place award for Arts for Innovation in Nov 2022. Unbound brought 1,500 people together to co-create an 80-foot sculpture of hope and uplift inside one of California’s largest psychiatric facilities, DSH-Napa (2021-2022). Unbound featured 800 paper maché winged hearts flying free from a cage, the hearts made by 500 psychiatric patients, 200 hospital staff and 800 community volunteers in a campaign to destigmatize mental illness.