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The future of art

An integrator of the arts on campus talks political polarization and social isolation and why bringing out the artist in all of us just might repair our torn social fabric.
Illustration of a big group of people holding hands in a spiraling circle.
Everyone can create and enjoy art. | iStock/cienpies

Deborah Cullinan’s job is to integrate arts of every form across campus.

She says art has the power to heal and may be the answer to many of our present-day societal problems, such as growing political polarization and social isolation borne by the pandemic. Art advances equity, improves health, and enhances well-being for all, she says. Everyone should see themselves as artists—engineers, physicians, political scientists alike. "We all want to have creative lives," Cullinan tells host Russ Altman in this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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