Inside of the Splatery at Holyoke Art.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
HOLYOKE — Holyoke Art has officially joined Art Pharmacy, a groundbreaking arts-and-healthcare initiative designed to improve mental health and emotional wellbeing through non-clinical, creative experiences.
As a new regional provider in this statewide network, Holyoke Art will offer referred patients joyful, expressive sessions like paint-flinging in the Splatery and guided art classes, all at no cost to participants.
Art Pharmacy, launched in Georgia in 2022, has now expanded to Massachusetts through a partnership with the Mass Cultural Council and Mass General Brigham. It allows healthcare professionals to prescribe up to 12 creative experiences per year to patients experiencing anxiety, depression, loneliness, or chronic stress.
Participants are supported by a trained care navigator who helps tailor their experiences and tracks progress using tools like the PHQ-9 and WHO Well-Being Index.
At Holyoke Art, that prescription may look like an unstructured session of color chaos in the Splatery, a space where participants throw paint at canvases, walls, and each other, or a welcoming art class designed to foster connection, confidence and play.
Holyoke Art Executive Director Kathy McKean talked more about the Splatery and said, “There’s something deeply healing about giving people permission to make a mess. We’ve seen how messy play reduces stress, lowers inhibitions and builds community. Through Art Pharmacy, we’re reaching people who may never have walked into an art space, but who need it most.”
Recent blog posts published by Holyoke Art explore the scientific and psychological benefits of “messy play,” highlighting how sensory engagement and unstructured creativity can improve cognitive function, reduce anxiety and activate healing brain pathways.
The Splatery, in particular, offers what researchers call “bottom-up processing,” restoring emotional balance by engaging the body before the intellect.
“Art has always been a tool for survival,” McKean said. “This partnership makes it a formal part of the care plan. Art has always played a role in healing, and to be able to intentionally offer a space where people can come to relieve stress, express themselves, or simply feel seen, it’s really powerful. At Holyoke Art, we’ve seen firsthand how something as simple as making a print or painting in the Splatery can lift someone’s mood or open up connection.”
Art Pharmacy’s model is already making waves in Georgia, where collaborations with Emory, Grady Health and Wellstar Health System have linked art-based prescriptions to improved outcomes for patients dealing with high blood pressure, chronic disease and mental health struggles.
With over 1,200 prescriptions issued in Massachusetts during the most recent pilot year, the statewide rollout is building momentum. In Holyoke and across Hampden County, where many communities face barriers to accessing traditional mental health care, creative alternatives like this offer a welcome path forward.
McKean discussed her excitement being able to offer this program at Holyoke Art.
“We’re grateful to be part of a larger effort like Art Pharmacy that’s making space for creativity in conversations about health. And we’re excited to keep growing programs that meet people where they are accessible, joyful and rooted in community,” she stated.
To get started with Art Pharmacy, patients are referred by a healthcare provider, social worker, or mental health counselor. They are then matched with local experiences—such as Holyoke Art’s paint-throwing or art-making sessions.
A care navigator will follow up to ensure consistency, accessibility and trackable outcomes. There’s no cost for the participant.
Holyoke Art will begin hosting referred sessions this summer.
Interested providers or organizations can contact Art Pharmacy at hello@artpharmacy.co to learn how to participate.
