The following are excerpts from HAI Founder and Executive Director Michael Jon Spencer's opening lecture to a series at the Chatauqua Institution on the subject of the arts and social change.

Art heals!!! It can help restore health, dignity, hope, and optimism by virtue of its power to touch people deeply, mentally, spiritually, and physiologically, and to produce memorable experiences marked by deep emotion, joy, and a sense of "connectedness."

During this century, radio, movies, television, and, more recently, computers, CD-ROMs, multi-media, interactive television, all have had a vast impact on how we experience and enjoy art. A growing segment of society increasingly experiences the arts in the privacy of home. What happens to the physical and mental well-being of people who become what I call "cultural couch potatoes"? Although the safety and convenience of sitting in one's living room or den and enjoying opera, ballet, or symphony concerts through various electronic media will be perceived by most as a positive social change, the downside should not be ignored. Not all social change is for the better.

Artistic experiences often elicit powerful feelings and positive expectations associated with healing and wellness, a fact that leads us to consider the mind-body connection. In recent years this topic has become the subject of considerable medical inquiries, for example in the field of psychoneuroimmunology. According to Dr. Nicholas Hall, "There exists within us the machinery to heal our own disease, to fully activate an innate self-recuperating potential. At the core is the immune system. But impacting on it is our psychological well-being, our endocrine systems, the autonomic nervous system...in fact, all are inextricably related."

As the beneficial impact of the arts become more apparent, it is imperative for us today to look at the potential deterioration of the mind and body of a "cultural couch potato." This deterioration can occur in many ways. The first is through "isolation" - the perception of being separate or cut off from others.

Another loss comes from not attending an esteemed venue whose special-ness can produce profound feelings of awe, inspiration, and intellectual stimulation. Attending cultural institutions can also boost one's self-esteem, producing the beneficial effect of well-ness and an enhanced immune system.

Other losses to the "cultural couch potato" are associated with the artistic event itself. At a live performing art event, or a movie (in contrast to home video) our time is structured by the art, and is not interrupted, as is usually the case at home, by telephone, doorbells, the call of refrigerators or bathrooms. Psychologically and physiologically, without disruption, we get the full build-up and impact of the emotions. Also, the very decision to go to concerts, museums, theaters, can often be an important element in promoting wellness and good health. Responsibility and control are key words. It doesn't matter what a person does; it is accepting responsibility for one's own health, and putting oneself in some measure of control, that is the key.

Art is a form of human communication which conveys a sense of order, perspective, commentary, insights, relief from boredom. From the perspective of the organization I founded, Hospital Audiences, Inc., or HAI, which provides access to the arts for people with disabilities, the arts also provide Hope and Inspiration, the initials of HAI.

If one can achieve a sense of hope and inspiration, a renewed will to live, from enjoying the arts anywhere, even at home, so be it. However, rigorous enjoyment of the arts - planning to go out, anticipating the event, getting out and socializing - is perhaps the most beneficial to one's health. Who knows but that it may be a matter of time before our managed care health plans, with increasing concern for wellness, will reimburse us for tickets to artistic events as a means of promoting our mental and physical well-being.

Michael Jon Spencer