H:Artworks Community

Our Mission. H:ArtWorks Community practices art as a healing modality to foster resilience, well-being, and belonging among people living with cancer and other serious health conditions.

Our Story. This healing community has transformed the lives of its members through connection and creativity. Formerly part of ArtsCare at Samaritan Health Services in partnership with The Art Center of Corvallis until it was closed in 2024, the H:ArtWorks Community continues to gather those community members and their families living with Cancer to nurture resilience during and after treatment.

Academic research demonstrates the healing benefits of art, and our participants have shared how this particular group helps them feel less alone and more connected. One community member shared that there’s a sense of isolation (when you live with Cancer) that no one understands unless you’ve experienced it.

Participants have commented: (When the program at Samaritan was cancelled,) “I cried off and on for a week.” And another said, “With all that’s going on in the world, having a community is more important than ever.” “It’s the only time I don't mind getting in the car, knowing I won’t be poked and prodded,” articulates another member.

The value in the H:ArtWorks Community lies in connection. Our participants feel safe knowing that they don’t have to talk about their specific experiences because it is the only space they feel truly understood. Facilitated by Nina Petrovich, a social and emotional skills trainer, teaching artist and HeartMath practitioner, presents activities and projects as invitations to explore, allowing individualized expression resisting perfectionism. We honor each other’s styles and skill levels. We do the best we can to offer accommodations for varying abilities and physical needs, some of which has been reduced by the loss of funding from Samaritan. For example, we would like to be able to hire a sign language interpreter again.

In partnership with our fiscal sponsor, Maxtivity, our community practices art for healing without the pressure of exposing traumatic experiences within the group. Through practice, we are developing strategies for promoting community and a sense of belonging and connection that may be used in the future for other types of chronic conditions, or in other locations as funding becomes available. Our regular practice of experimenting with different materials and mediums develops new skills and promotes flexible thinking, frustration tolerance, and patience – all skills foundational for enduring the management of ongoing health concerns and new symptoms. Our participants believe that should things take a turn for the worse, this community will step in for support. Our group has also become a comfortable space for pop-up conversations about healing modalities and local practitioners that have worked for some individuals, then contacts and resources are shared.

Our Thanks. A heartfelt thank you to you for contributing to our community. Your support will enable us to continue year-round providing diverse art experiences for our group with new materials and visiting teaching artists.