New Report Documents Research Pilot Exploring Connections between Craft and Community Vitality

A new report from the UNC Asheville-UNC Gillings Master of Public Health (MPH) program documents an innovative research pilot with the Center for Craft. The project paired six MPH students with six Craft & Community Vitality grant awardees to explore how the craft artists' work connects with community health. The report presents narrative portraits of awardees that contributes to a collective framework of connections between craft and community health.

Anna Helgeson, Center for Craft's grant program manager, community vitality, was excited to launch the new grant program and partnership.

"The creativity and range of projects in this new grants program was inspiring," she said. "We know the work that craft artists and organizations do has a powerful impact on communities, and are grateful to collaborate with the public health program to explore how and why."

In her portrait of Craft & Community Vitality awardee Elizabeth Ivey, MPH student Juhi Barit writes that Ivey believes craft is "an essential tool for emotional self-care, a way to find peace, and a method to unlock the potential that resides within each of us."

Isla Neel, another MPH student in the class, reflected that "[The partnership] helped me to think specifically about the ways that community can be influenced by craft through a public health lens."

Based on what the students learned from craft artists and their work, the research pilot report presents a framework for connecting craft and community health. According to Professor Ameena Batada, who led the class and research pilot, "The collective framework illustrates the breadth of characteristics and approaches of the craft artists and a resulting range of rich individual-level and community-level health impacts."

While the pilot is complete, the partnership is ongoing. Some of the craft artists will continue to work with the MPH program to measure the influence of their work with community crafting on health outcomes. Partners also are working on additional activities to learn about and share ways that craft plays a role in public health.

The Center for Craft increases access to craft by empowering and resourcing artists, organizations, and communities through grants, fellowships, and programs that bring people together. Learn more at centerforcraft.org.

The UNC Asheville - UNC Gillings MPH Program in place-based health is a joint program of UNC Asheville and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill. Students attend classes once a week during the academic year. In 21 months, they earn an MPH in place-based health. Prospective students may apply by priority due date December 1 (for scholarship consideration), March 1 (for regional scholarships), or April 1 to pursue an MPH in place-based health in Asheville at MAHEC. Learn more at sph.unc.edu/resource-pages/unc-asheville-unc-gillings/

MPH student Juhi Barot and Craft and Community Vitality Awardee Elizabeth Ivey. Photo Courtesy of Cori Anderson.

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