The Art of Public Health will return for a second edition in Spring 2023. Our course will be held once-per-week on Thursdays from 4-6pm. We are happy to report that we will now be teaching in the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation. Interested students should complete the course interest form and register for the course. Graduate students will be automatically waitlisted. If you are an undergraduate, you may not be able to join the waitlist because of system restrictions. In that case, please note it on the course interest form. We will release a short application for admission into the course in December 2022 to prospective students using contact information provided to us on the course interest form. We will admit 25 students into the course in January, before the first week of classes. We expect that demand for the course will again exceed capacity. (11/1/2022)

UPDATE (12/2/2022): We have released the application to students who have completed the course interest form. The application is due Monday, January 9, 2023 5:00pm PST. If you are interested in joining the course, you must first complete the course interest form above to get access to the application.

UPDATE (1/6/2023): For those who are just learning about the course now, you must do all of the following for admission into the course: complete the course interest form, register for the course, and complete the application. This is all due Monday, January 9, 2023 5:00pm PST.

UPDATE (1/19/2023): Applications closed on Monday, January 9, 2023. All applicants were notified of decisions on Friday, January 13, 2023.


Spring 2022

The Art of Public Health is a brand new, multidisciplinary, interactive, making-based course to introduce students to the variety of ways that Art shapes Public Health practice. Each week, students are introduced to novel intersections between the arts and public health through curated resources, guest speakers, small-group discussions, site visits, and interactive workshops. The course is organized into three major modules, each relating to the respective intention of art: Communication (behavior change), Advocacy (systems change), and Community (building and healing). Regular creative exercises culminate in a public gallery show for the campus community.

Guest speakers include Phung Huynh, Favianna Rodriguez, Yoko Kiyoi, Lonny Brooks, and Lori Dorfman. We are collaborating with the Berkeley Art Museum , through the Eli Leon collection, the largest collection of African-American quilts in the world – including work by Rosie Lee Tompkins. In addition, students designed and produced advocacy postcards using a risograph digital printing process, in collaboration with The Art Lab at the Berkeley Art Museum. Each printed work sits within a larger advocacy campaign designed by the students to further their public health goal of choice.

This is a 3-unit, graduate-level course taught in Spring 2022. A total of 25 graduate and undergraduate students were admitted into the class through an application process. These students range from  those with deep experience in the arts, crafting, and making to students with no such experience.

This class would not be possible without generous funding from physician-artist, Tom Janisse. We would also like to thank Annalisa Watson, our creative manager for coordinating museum visits, guest speakers, and helping the class run smoothly.

Jaspal & Somalee

UPDATE (10/27/2021): In addition to completing the form linked above, interested students should register for the course (all students will be automatically waitlisted). In late 2021 or early 2022, we will ask interested students to complete a short application for admission into the course. We will admit students to the course from the waitlist during the first week of classes in Spring 2022. At this point, we expect that demand for the course will exceed capacity. We will notify interested students of any changes to this plan.

UPDATE (12/14/2021): 1) We have published the application and have shared it by email with all those who completed the interest form. We have also linked it above. 2) Undergraduates interested in the course will not be able to join the waitlist because of system restrictions. We still encourage undergraduates to apply. We will ensure admitted undergraduates are able to enroll. 3) Our first class session will be held on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 (not January 18th).

UPDATE (1/22/2022): We are no longer accepting applications for Spring 2022.

hosted by the Open Computing Facility at Cal