Arts Impact
At the Norfolk Arts Center, we envision a community in which everyone has access to the knowledge, inspiration, comfort, enrichment, and cultural complexity of the arts.
In response to the needs of our community during the pandemic, we developed a weekly series of virtual classes geared for all ages and abilities. We delivered supplies all over Northeast Nebraska, at no cost, to ensure there is never a barrier for those needing access to art.
The Norfolk Arts Center impacts on average 15,000 people each year all over Northeast Nebraska.
• Over 7,000 area K-12 students experience theater through NAC’s Setting the Stage for Kids and Norfolk Youth Theater programs.
• Educational and inspirational classes for all ages in our classroom, virtually, and throughout the community, provide a wide range of hands-on experiences with the arts.
• Partnerships with local community organizations, businesses, service groups, nonprofits, and individuals, are the foundation of celebrations like ‘Fork Fest.
• Each year 150+ regional and national artists are celebrated in NAC’s exhibit spaces and at community events.
• Free events like open classrooms and open mic nights welcome all to experience and practice art in a safe and welcoming space.
• At least 14 different stages set up throughout the year provide platforms to shine light on Nebraska musicians, poets and story-tellers.
How The Arts Benefit Us All
• Art doesn’t just unify us, it physically benefits us. Studies show that spending just 45 minutes on an art project can relieve stress, strengthen critical thinking skills and improve and sustain memory.
Source: https://www.earthday.org/stressed-out-art-can-help-get-us-through-the-coronavirus-pandemic/
• Neurobiologist Semir Zeki found that just viewing art causes joy, similar to the sensation of falling in love. Viewing art also relieves mental exhaustion in the same way the outdoors does — walking in nature, losing oneself in music and admiring art directly influence health and life expectancy.
Source: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/394088
Image credit:
https://www.invaluable.com/blog/benefits-of-art/
Become a MEMBER today and ensure the arts continue to thrive for generations!
