Creative Arts at Huntsman Cancer Institute
Research studies show creative arts can reduce anxiety, depression, pain, loneliness, and stress, which may improve a person’s emotional, social, and physical health. Creative Arts programs and classes are free. Many are also open to loved ones and staff. Learn more about creative arts and cancer on our blog.
View our catalog for a complete, current list of offerings. You can also join our Facebook group.
Artist-in-Residence
Each week, a professional artist leads a drop-in workshop. Participants can make art through a variety of projects such as painting, drawing, and sculpture and express themselves creatively.
Participation is free for patients, loved ones, and HCI staff, and all materials are provided. The program is held every Tuesday from 10 am—5 pm in the HCI 6th Floor Multipurpose Room. Visit the HCI Wellness Center Facebook Group for upcoming workshops.
Read more about art and cancer.
Music Therapy
Listening to and taking part in making music helps us express ourselves, connect with others, and lift our spirits. The Music Therapy program uses live music to help patients and caregivers take their minds off of cancer and its treatments, share emotions, and ease symptoms.
Participation is free for patients, loved ones, and HCI staff and is available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays by appointment. Call 801-587-4585 to schedule an appointment.
Read more about music therapy and cancer.
Writer-in-Residence
Explore creative and expressive writing, and the power of language to heal through reflection, stories, poems, essays, journaling, letters, and more with poet and writer Susan Sample. We offer individual and group workshops for outpatients and inpatients.
"…Writing cannot cure patients, but it facilitates the progress of repairing the damages done. Words have the power to mend spirits abiding within damaged or incurable bodies." — Susan Gubar, PhD, author of Reading and Writing Cancer: How Words Heal
Your Story
Share your story with loved ones and create a recorded personal history. This online Do-It-Yourself Life Story kit includes a list of memory prompts, free training videos, and resources in print and digital form.
FAME Study
The Fatique, Anxiety, Music, and Entertainment (FAME) study explores whether music and entertainment can reduce cancer-related fatigue and anxiety in cancer patients.