Healing Through Indigenous Art: Exploring Evidence, Practicing Stone Carving (76)
Tracks
Track 3
| Monday, April 20, 2026 |
| 10:00 AM - 11:20 AM |
| 50 Sussex, Boardroom (Lower Level) |
Overview
Mr. Noah Bennell
Details
Learning Objectives: Describe how Indigenous art interventions support mental health and cultural well-being. Engage in art-making as a tool for healing and cultural connection.
Speaker
Mr. Noah Bennell
University Of Ottawa
Healing Through Indigenous Art: Exploring Evidence, Practicing Stone Carving.
Abstract
Background/Purpose:
Art is central to Indigenous ways of knowing, healing, and community life. Through storytelling, music, and visual expression, art connects individuals to culture, spirit, and land, relationships essential to well-being. Within Indigenous worldviews, healing is holistic, addressing emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical balance. Creative practice helps process experience, restore identity, and strengthen cultural continuity, all foundational to mental health.
Studies on Indigenous art engagement programs globally report measurable improvements in mental health and well-being among Indigenous individuals and communities. Studies examining visual arts, music, storytelling, and culturally immersive activities document enhanced cultural identity, stronger belonging, and increased community support. Quantitative evidence notes reductions in depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicide or self-harm risk, while qualitative accounts describe greater resilience, empowerment, self-compassion, and personal agency. Elder-involvement in these programs reinforce intergenerational knowledge transfer and healing from historical trauma. Collectively, these findings highlight that culturally attuned art interventions support both individual and community mental health.
Building on this evidence, the purpose of this workshop is twofold: to review research on Indigenous art as a culturally grounded intervention for mental health, and to provide participants with a hands-on experience in Indigenous art. Through this experience, participants will reflect on the role of creative practice in personal and cultural well-being and explore ways to integrate art-based, culturally safe practices into healthcare and educational settings.
Instructional Methods:
The workshop will begin with a brief presentation on Indigenous art as a culturally grounded, evidence-supported intervention for mental health. Participants will then engage in hands-on soapstone carving, creating small animal figures while reflecting on connections between art, identity, and healing. Materials include soapstone, files, sandpaper, water, and oil. The session will conclude with a group discussion on integrating art-based and culturally safe practices into healthcare and education.
Art is central to Indigenous ways of knowing, healing, and community life. Through storytelling, music, and visual expression, art connects individuals to culture, spirit, and land, relationships essential to well-being. Within Indigenous worldviews, healing is holistic, addressing emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical balance. Creative practice helps process experience, restore identity, and strengthen cultural continuity, all foundational to mental health.
Studies on Indigenous art engagement programs globally report measurable improvements in mental health and well-being among Indigenous individuals and communities. Studies examining visual arts, music, storytelling, and culturally immersive activities document enhanced cultural identity, stronger belonging, and increased community support. Quantitative evidence notes reductions in depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicide or self-harm risk, while qualitative accounts describe greater resilience, empowerment, self-compassion, and personal agency. Elder-involvement in these programs reinforce intergenerational knowledge transfer and healing from historical trauma. Collectively, these findings highlight that culturally attuned art interventions support both individual and community mental health.
Building on this evidence, the purpose of this workshop is twofold: to review research on Indigenous art as a culturally grounded intervention for mental health, and to provide participants with a hands-on experience in Indigenous art. Through this experience, participants will reflect on the role of creative practice in personal and cultural well-being and explore ways to integrate art-based, culturally safe practices into healthcare and educational settings.
Instructional Methods:
The workshop will begin with a brief presentation on Indigenous art as a culturally grounded, evidence-supported intervention for mental health. Participants will then engage in hands-on soapstone carving, creating small animal figures while reflecting on connections between art, identity, and healing. Materials include soapstone, files, sandpaper, water, and oil. The session will conclude with a group discussion on integrating art-based and culturally safe practices into healthcare and education.
Biography
Noah Bennell is a member of the Northwest Territory Métis Nation and a second-year medical student at the University of Ottawa. His academic interests center on Indigenous community well-being, improving access to healthcare resources for Indigenous peoples, and advancing Indigenous health education. Beyond medicine, Noah is an artist who carves soapstone and antler, with his work exhibited in galleries and art festivals. He also leads carving workshops that celebrate and share Indigenous art traditions.
COI Disclosure: I do not have an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with any for-profit or not-for-profit organizations
COI Disclosure: I do not have an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with any for-profit or not-for-profit organizations
