April 29–May 1, 2026 • Heartland Whole Health Institute • 850 Museum Way • Bentonville, AR

All day: Arrival in Bentonville and check-in at 21c Museum Hotel

9:30 – 10:00 am: Arrival, registration, and breakfast at Heartland Whole Health Institute, Ballroom C

10:00 – 10:15 am: Welcome and opening remarks with Anne Kraybill and Amanda Driver 

10:15 – 11:45 am: Keynote: “Loneliness, Art Museums, and Health: Opportunities for Immediate Action” with Dr. Jeremy Nobel and Chris Doucette 

11:45 am – 1:00 pm: Lunch 

1:00 – 1:45 pm: “Integrating Partner Loan Network Groupings: Curation to Logistics” with Sarah Martin and Javier Rivero Ramos 

1:45 – 2:00 pm: Break 

2:00 – 3:30 pm: “Museum Case Studies and Q&A” with Abigail Simmons and Margie Makowski, Allentown Art Museum; Josie Jimarez-Howard, El Paso Museum of Art; Annie Saldaña and Dileyca Liz Cepeda Arias, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico 

3:30 – 5:00 pm: Free time and art activations (optional) 

5:00 pm: Happy hour at 21c Museum Hotel   

5:30 pm: Dinner at 21c Museum Hotel  

7:30 – 8:30 pm: Sunset experience at The Way of Color, James Turrell’s Skyspace (optional) 

9:00 – 9:15 am: Arrival and breakfast at Heartland Whole Health Institute, Ballroom C

9:15 – 9:30 am: Reflections 

9:30 – 12:00 pm: “Workshop: Designing for Flourishing” with Dr. Katherine Cotter

12:00 am – 1:00 pm: Networking lunch 

1:00 – 2:00 pm: “Workshop: Applying Evaluation to your Art Bridges Project” with Max Fey 

2:00 – 3:00 pm: Museum planning time

3:00 – 6:00 pm: Free time 

6:00 pm: Dinner at selected Downtown Bentonville restaurants

9:00 – 9:15 am: Arrival and breakfast at Heartland Whole Health Institute, Ballroom C

9:15 – 9:30 am: Reflections 

9:30 – 10:15 pm: Museum planning time

10:15 – 11:00 am: Museum presentations 

11:00 – 11:30 am: Next steps and closing

11:30 am: Lunch

Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH, is a longtime faculty member at the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His teaching and research activities focus on population health, social determinants of health, and the design and evaluation of health improvement intervention programs. With the unique background and training required to bridge scientific and humanistic disciplines, Dr. Nobel has contributed to significant explorations into how creative expression mitigates illness and enhances well-being. He has become a prominent advocate for creative engagement, ancillary to and integrated with traditional medical care, as a pathway to healing.

As president and founder, he leads The Foundation for Art & Healing, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and its signature initiative, Project UnLonely. 

Dr. Nobel’s book Project UnLonely: Healing Our Crisis of Disconnection, published by Penguin Random House in 2023, unpacks our personal and national experience of loneliness to discover its roots and take steps to find comfort and connection. He clarifies how meaningful connection can be nourished and sustained, and he reveals that an important component of the healing process is engaging in creativity.

Dr. Nobel graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University within the Science and Human Affairs program. He received his medical education at the University of Pennsylvania and completed his internal medicine residency at the Beth Israel Hospital, Boston. Board-certified in both preventive medicine and internal medicine, Dr. Nobel also holds dual master’s degrees in epidemiology and public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

A published poet, Dr. Nobel has received several awards for his poetry, including the Bain-Swiggett Prize from Princeton University and the American Academy of Poets Prize from the University of Pennsylvania.

Chris Doucette is the executive director of The Foundation for Art & Healing (FAH), where he leads with a deep commitment to advancing human connection, health, and well-being through the arts. Chris brings more than 30 years of experience across marketing, communications, fundraising, and project management.  Prior to joining FAH, Doucette served as vice president of community engagement for a dementia caregiving organization. In that role, he created, produced, and hosted the award-winning podcast Caregiver/Storyteller, elevating the voices and lived experiences of caregivers while building a powerful platform for empathy, learning, and advocacy. His leadership in nonprofit communications has been widely recognized, including being named the American Marketing Association’s 2021 Nonprofit Marketer of the Year. 

About The Foundation for Art & Healing 

The Foundation for Art & Healing (FAH) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to explore, promote, and facilitate creative expression to improve health and well-being for individuals and communities. Through its signature initiative, Project UnLonely, FAH raises awareness about loneliness and its risks to health, reduces the stigma that surrounds it, and helps people connect through research-based creative activities. 

Abigail Simmons is the director of education and public engagement at the Allentown Art Museum, where she leads the strategic vision for educational programs and community engagement. In this role, she oversees a multidisciplinary team, develops inclusive and inquiry-based learning initiatives, and expands collaborations that deepen the museum’s connection to diverse audiences. Her work centers on accessible, creative experiences that build sustainable pathways for lifelong learning through the arts.  

Margie Makowski is the manager of museum accessibility at the Allentown Art Museum, where she works to expand access to creative experiences through inclusive programming and collaborative partnerships with local organizations and community members. She holds a bachelor’s degree in art therapy and art history, a K–12 art

education certification, and a master’s in art education. Makowski is passionate about blending elements of art therapy and art education to create meaningful spaces of creativity, reflection, and well-being in community settings. Her work focuses on developing accessible experiences for individuals with disabilities, adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, caregivers, and families. 

Josie Jimarez-Howard has been with the El Paso Museum of Art since 2016, serving in a variety of roles that reflect her dedication to accessibility, inclusion, and cultural engagement. With over 15 years of experience in community outreach and customer service, she is committed to strengthening connections between the museum and the border community. Jimarez-Howard is passionate about collaborating with local artists and organizations to highlight the rich artistic talent and diverse cultural heritage of the El Paso–Juárez region. Through her work, she continues to expand partnerships that foster creativity, dialogue, and a deeper appreciation of the arts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and a Master of Arts in history from the University of Texas at El Paso. 

Annie Saldaña is an artist, arts administrator, and educator from Puerto Rico. She currently leads the Creative Community Development Center (CEDE) at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. This innovative division is dedicated to collaboratively crafting experiences that foster creative careers through targeted capacity-development programming and a diverse array of opportunities. Saldaña has engaged in numerous professional development programs and fellowships, and her artistic endeavors have been showcased both locally and internationally. Her commitment to arts education and management is centered on promoting equity for all creatives with a vision to enhance the professional growth of both emerging and established artists, enabling them to realize their fullest creative and economic potential.  

Dileyca Liz Cepeda Arias is a grant writer and public administration professional with experience in cultural programming, reporting, and community engagement. She is passionate about expanding access to the arts and local community work. She develops funding strategies and partnerships that support inclusive educational initiatives. Her work focuses on connecting underrepresented communities with meaningful cultural experiences through exhibitions, workshops, and guided programs. She combines strong research and storytelling skills with a commitment to making museums more accessible, relevant, and responsive to the communities they serve. 

Dr. Katherine N. Cotter is the director of research with the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a PhD in psychology with expertise in the psychology of aesthetics and the arts and their connection with flourishing. She developed and has led the Art Museums as Institutions for Flourishing initiative since its inception and has extensive experience collaborating with arts institutions to conduct research and explore ways of implementing scientific findings into practice. 

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