Researcher’s Film On Arts Healing Power Earns Emmy® Nomination

For a film that illustrates how the arts can promote healing in healthcare settings, UNC Charlotte researcher Margaret M. Quinlan and colleagues Lynn Harter and Evan Shaw have earned a regional Emmy® nomination from the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The documentary, “The Acoustics of Care,” is the third and final film in The Courage of Creativity Initiative, which explores the role that artists and creativity can play in people’s wellbeing in health-related contexts.

The nomination, in the arts and education category, marks the fourth Emmy® nomination for the series, which won an Emmy® in 2014 for a film promoting the initiative. The first and second documentaries in the series, Beautiful Remedy and Creative Abundance, also were nominated for regional Emmy® awards.

Quinlan, an associate professor in Communication Studies and core faculty with the Interdisciplinary Health Psychology doctoral program, is co-director and co-producer on the films with Harter and Shaw, in association with the Barbara Geralds Institute for Storytelling. Harter is a professor with the Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University, and Shaw is chief videographer/editor with WOUB.

With this documentary, the filmmakers specifically profile DooR to DooR, a Chapel Hill nonprofit founded by Joy Javits to bring performing, literary and visual artists to healthcare settings. The film shows how the arts can introduce soothing sounds and sights into healthcare settings to facilitate healing, focusing on the impact on patients, their families and healthcare professionals.

“Our research and creative activity is inspired and informed by the stories of individuals,” Quinlan says. “Storytelling is a powerful form of experiencing and expressing.”

For Quinlan, the documentaries and the recognition they have received draw attention to the underlying research. “We hope to show an ongoing commitment to the applied nature of scholarship that fosters meaningful difference in the lives of people,” she says.

Prior to joining the faculty at UNC Charlotte, Quinlan completed fieldwork with Harter in Athens, Ohio, bringing together people with developmental disabilities and professional artists. The research resulted in several book chapters and journal articles. Among her honors since joining UNC Charlotte in a faculty role, Quinlan received The Bonnie E. Cone Early-Career Professorship in Teaching, which recognizes innovative teaching techniques and effective student advising and mentoring, among other attributes.

The Emmy® award recipients will be announced at a gala on Saturday, August 5, 2017 at The Lawrenceburg Event Center in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

Words and Image: Lynn Roberson, CLAS Communications Director