Explore what science reveals about the powerful ways art influences the brain, emotions, health, and overall human well-being.

A Conversation on Art, Science, and The Human Experience

Join an artist, educator, and researcher for Art Matters: What Does the Science Say?, an engaging exploration of how creative practice can influence human development, health, and wellbeing. Together, we’ll examine the intersection of art, embodied learning, creativity, and wellbeing, drawing on research and real-world experiences to better understand why artistic expression can play such an important role in how we think, feel, connect, and thrive.

What We’ll Cover:

• Art and human development – Explore how creative practice and embodied learning can influence the way we understand ourselves, engage with others, and experience the world.

• Creativity, health, and wellbeing – Discover how the arts can support emotional wellbeing, community health, creative aging, and meaningful human connection.

• Why art matters – Examine what research and practice reveal about the role of creativity in our lives and why the arts remain a powerful tool for learning, healing, and personal growth.

Whether you’re an artist, educator, researcher, or simply curious about the connection between creativity and wellbeing, you’ll leave with a deeper appreciation for how art can shape the mind, enrich our lives, and contribute to human flourishing.

Don’t miss this chance to connect with your After5Society.

About The Speaker:

Krina Patel, Ed.D. is an artist, educator, and researcher whose work sits at the intersection of creative practice, human development, and wellbeing. She completed her doctoral research at the Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Her practice is grounded in embodied thinking and learning, principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and over a decade of community arts engagement across Boston and internationally. Dr Patel’s teaching work includes undergraduate and graduate courses on creativity, health and wellbeing in the age of AI. She is the author of An Artwork a Day: The Arts in Healing and Wellbeing (Quiet Elephant Editions, 2025). Her work spans community health, creative aging, and global arts-based programming.

Good to know before you come:

• Exact bar location will be disclosed in your confirmation email
• Arrive early to grab a drink and get settled
• The speaker portion lasts 1 hour, with optional time to stay and socialize afterward
• This is a participatory event
• Seating is limited to keep the experience intimate