Welcome!

This convening focuses on museum–medical school partnerships and will bring together five selected museums and their medical school partners to explore how art and wellness programming can support medical education. Through facilitated discussion and shared learning, participants will engage with peers, field leaders, and Art Bridges staff to develop ideas and approaches tailored to their institutions.

Following the convening, participating museums and their medical school partners will design and implement creative art and wellness projects focused on engaging medical students and supporting well‑being and learning outcomes. Museums will receive:

• A two‑year, no‑cost loan of 2-3 artworks from the Art Bridges Partner Loan Network
• $50,000 to develop, implement, and evaluate their project, with work beginning as early as 2027

Please bookmark this page as your central source for event information. Updates and important details will be added here as they become available.

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LOCATION

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

600 Museum Way

Bentonville, AR 72712

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DATES

Nov. 3-6, 2026

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ON-SITE CONTACT

Chelsea Malson, Convening Coordinator: **[email protected]

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PAGE DIRECTORY

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AGENDA

DAY 1: Tuesday, Nov. 3

DAY 2: Wednesday, Nov. 4

| 7:00-8:30 AM | Breakfast at 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville 8:30-9:00 AM | Lyft or Walk to Crystal Bridges Campus 9:00-9:30 AM | Registration 9:30-9:45 AM | Welcome and Opening Remarks 9:45-10:45 AM | Presentation 10:45-11:00 AM | Break 11:00 AM-12:00 PM | Workshop 12:00-1:00 PM | Lunch 1:00-2:00 PM | Case Studies + Q&A 2:00-2:15 PM | Break 2:15-2:45 PM | Javier Rivero Ramos, Curator at Art Bridges 2:45-3:45 PM | Museum Planning Time, Part I 3:45-4:00 PM | Travel to Alice L. Walton School of Medicine 4:00-5:00 PM | Alice L. Walton School of Medicine Tour 6:00 PM | Dinner for Selected Museums and Medical Partners | | --- |

DAY 3: Thursday, Nov. 5

| 7:00-8:30 AM | Breakfast at 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville 8:30-9:00 AM | Lyft or Walk to Crystal Bridges Campus 9:00-9:15 AM | Arrival 9:15-9:30 AM | Reflection 9:30-10:30 AM | Keynote 10:30-10:45 AM | Break 10:45-11:30 AM | Interactive Conversation 11:30 AM | Group Photo 11:30 AM-12:30 PM | Lunch 12:30-1:45 PM | Arts in Health and Wellness Research & Evaluation 1:45-2:45 PM | Museum Planning, Part II 2:45-3:45 PM | Museum Presentations 3:45-4:00 PM | Closing Reflection and Next Steps 4:00-5:00 PM | Free Time to Explore Crystal Bridges Campus 6:00 PM | Happy Hour for Selected Museums and Medical Partners 6:30 PM | Dinner for Selected Museums and Medical Partners | | --- |

DAY 4: Friday, Nov. 6

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Tap each speaker’s name to view their headshot and bio.

• Bonnie Pitman (UT Southwestern Medical School) — Lecturer
• Elisabeth Callihan (Baltimore Museum of Art) — Chief Education Officer
• Dr. Kamna Balhara (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) — Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
• Sunil Iyengar (National Endowment for the Arts) — Director of Research & Analysis
• Max Fey (Art Bridges) — Research & Evaluation Manager
• Kim Awa (Art Bridges) — Research & Evaluation Specialist
• Javier Rivero Ramos (Art Bridges) — Curator