This two page fact sheet produced for Arts Advocacy Day 2016 gives an overview of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), including items about its budget, value, and mission.

A Briefing Paper prepared for the National Roundtable for Arts, Health and Well-being Across the Military Continuum, November 30, 2016.

NASAA's Arts & Military Snap Survey was a first step toward gaining a more comprehensive understanding of state arts agency (SAA) and regional arts organization (RAO) policies, programs, services, partnerships and other efforts to serve military and veteran populations.

USA TODAY created this free special edition on Veteran Affairs in honor of Veteran's Day in 2015.

USA TODAY created this free special edition on Veteran Affairs in honor of Veteran's Day in 2015. The articles focused on meeting the needs or our veterans. Among the articles was a feature on how veteran's are using art thearpy as a way to heal from trauma.

A growing body of research demonstrates how the arts – including literary, performing and visual arts as well as architecture and design – can greatly enhance the experience of healthcare, contributing to improved health outcomes, a better patient experience and lower healthcare costs. This unique book provides an overview of what the arts in healthcare can achieve and how to implement the arts in the most effective manner. Exploring possibilities for innovative program design and implementation – from healing gardens through public performances to bedside activities

"Preliminary evidence from self-report measures indicates positive effects on mood, self-esteem, socialization and community participation among the veteran participants and recognition among staff that the course aids the veterans’ recovery process. Appreciating art thus appears to promote both subjective and objective improvement in recovery and community re-integration for veterans who are experiencing chronic and disabling emotional distress."

"Student veterans represent a unique population on college campuses. Not only are they transitioning back to civilian life but also into a new role as college student. This paper describes the attempts of one university to aid in that transition through the means of expressive arts. A detailed description of the Paper Peace and glass pouring workshops and accompanying pictures is provided in this paper. In addition, reflections on the workshops and plans for future workshops are described."

"Findings indicate that the program addressed children’s needs at a number of points in time with six themes that have emerged from the data. These include, visits with the injured parent, self-expression, distraction and respite, parental engagement, normalization and empowerment. The findings lend support on ways an artists-in-residence program uses creative arts engagement to promote coping for children of hospitalized wounded service members and to encourage ongoing participation in the arts upon discharge.

"This paper details a pilot study that used a six-week visual journaling art therapy group with military veterans in recovery in order to reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Two participants completed the journaling group, pre- and posttest Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation—Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), and an individual interview. The data from the CORE-OM were analyzed to determine change in overall score as well as the domains of life functioning, risk/harm, problems/symptoms, and subjective well-being. The individual interviews were analyzed to