For a creativity-fueled decade, national nonprofit Arts For Life has provided high-quality art education and art therapy to patients and families across Atrium Health Levine Children’s in Charlotte. Ten years and countless smiles later, Arts For Life programs — spanning visual art, music, and literary arts — have inspired, comforted, and transformed patients’ and families’ medical journeys. “The art is not just a craft — it is an opportunity for meaning-making, providing a distraction and normalization that is vital to the patient-experience,” says Andrea Klauss, Arts For Life program coordinator for Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital and Jeff Gordon Children’s Center.

Just like Andrea, Atrium Health’s Arts For Life program director Olivia Chisholm emphasizes the importance of the program’s ability to reach patients of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. “To me, this speaks to the culture of our hospital,” said Olivia. She and her colleagues, along with a cadre of volunteers, are passionate about developing community partnerships and strive each day to ensure Arts For Life programming is available to all patients and their caregivers. As the hospital and community grow, Arts For Life hopes to expand to support more patients with adaptive needs and limited mobility, and to partner with community groups to bring more creative experiences to families with extended hospital stays.

Since 2015, Arts For Life has supported over 8,800 participants through more than 14,000 hours of creative programming.

A Source of Comfort for Children and Families

Charlotte, a cancer survivor, poses by her art at the 2025 artist showcase.

For one patient-family who has visited Levine Children’s almost weekly for the past two years, Arts For Life has become a source of comfort and joy. “Arts For Life is one of the key reasons that my kids love coming to clinic…my daughter relishes each opportunity to do a special project while she is waiting for labs or getting an infusion,” shared Alexis, a grateful parent. “It’s hard to put into words how much Andrea and this program mean to our family… it provides a source of light and feeling of normalcy through what is otherwise a very challenging situation.”

To learn more about this program, visit AtriumHealthFoundation.org/ArtsForLife.