In late May, WolfBrown Principal Researcher Dr. Dennie Palmer Wolf participated in an international convening of the Lullaby Project hosted by Carnegie Hall, bringing together artists, healthcare professionals, administrators, and community leaders from around the world to explore the role of the arts in supporting family and community well-being.
As part of the convening, Dennie moderated a panel discussion featuring:
- Monica Mariño, Program Director, Arts and Medicine, New York City Health + Hospitals
- Rosa Negron, Assistant Director, Ambulatory Care, Women’s Health Services/Immunology, Elmhurst Hospital
- Falu Shah, musician, Grammy-winning artist, and Carnegie Hall Teaching Artist
Together, the panel reflected on their work through the Lullaby Project at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, one of New York City’s largest and busiest public health facilities. Each week, musicians, frontline healthcare professionals, and families from one of the city’s most culturally and linguistically diverse neighborhoods gather in the maternity clinic waiting room to create personal lullabies for newborn children and their families.
The conversation explored what it means to design arts-based programs “in the round” with equal attention to the needs and experiences of everyone involved. Panelists discussed how successful partnerships support healthcare staff and administrators striving to create responsive public health systems, teaching artists who bring their own cultural identities and creative practices to the work, and families seeking meaningful ways to welcome and connect with their children.
The session attracted participants from a wide range of settings, including hospitals, clinics, public libraries, shelters, and programs serving incarcerated women. Many attendees were eager to adapt lessons from the Elmhurst partnership to their own communities, leading to a lively discussion about sustainability, collaboration, and impact.
The convening underscored the growing interest in the intersection of public health and the arts, and reaffirmed the importance of long-term partnerships that foster connection, belonging, and well-being through creative practice.
“We closed the session determined to keep our Elmhurst partnership alive and generating new insights about the intersection of public health and the arts,” said Wolf.