“Forward” was an apt theme for 2023 – in addition to evolving and expanding our art, music, and wellness programming at the festival and growing the O+ team, this year we also made significant strides toward our goal of providing year-round care to artists and musicians. In January, we hired our first-ever on-staff physician and Medical Director, in August we signed a lease to a new clinic space in Midtown Kingston, and in November we received our license from the State of New York to open Medicine for Artists, PLLC – a new year-round, exchange-based clinic for artists and musicians. Our goal is to bridge crucial gaps in coverage for far too many artists and musicians and to serve as a community hub that can host live music, exhibitions, and wellness workshops – a space where art, music, and wellness intersect.
Since our founding, O+ has envisioned a radical alternative to the current model of care, one that values the individual and their contributions to the collective. We see this exchange-based clinic as an important step toward disrupting the current system and providing a framework for other organizations to do the same.
Forward, indeed!
With love and gratitude,
Aimee, Alanna, Allie, Dre, Erin, Jesse, Joe, Lara, Laura, and Lindsey
Exchanging Art & Music for Healthcare Since 2010
Through the exchange of art and music for medicine, O+ empowers communities to take control of their collective well-being. When artists and musicians thrive, so do culture and our communities as a whole.
O+ envisions thriving, diverse, creative communities through the establishment of a culture of care wherein an individual’s value is based on their contribution to the collective, and everyone has equitable access to the healing power of both art and medicine.
O+ was one of the first spaces where I felt that it was possible to have a world, this community of artists and society co-existing and supporting each other…Everybody who was there to pitch in and help out was so compassionate and kind and thoughtful and helpful. I had so many things done for me while I was there and I just felt like I was home. I didn’t wanna leave. It was such a magical time. O+ is a very magical time and space. I believe every artist deserves that experience.
~ Phoenix Roebuck, musician/O+ Alum 2017
THE ARTISTS’ CLINIC: THE BEATING HEART OF THE O+ FESTIVAL
I love volunteering at the O+ festival. My typical patient is a younger uninsured artist who has been dealing with a musculoskeletal issue for months or even years. I am able to evaluate them, explain to them what I find and what I think is the best treatment, and usually make significant improvements by doing a comprehensive treatment during our session. They leave with home exercises or changes to make in their body mechanics or ergonomics, and advice on where to go for follow-up treatments if needed.
It is so fulfilling to be able to make such an impact, while making and deepening relationships with other enthusiastic and dedicated local practitioners.
~ Dr. Laura Loftus, PT
Wellness
During festival weekend, while thousands of our friends and neighbors enjoy music and art around Kingston, magic happens inside The Old Dutch Church. For those three days, Bethany Hall is transformed into a bustling clinic space, with more than 100 volunteer health & wellness practitioners providing vital health services to artists and musicians performing in the festival.
This year, our dedicated clinic volunteers provided more than 300 health services – from check-ups to hearing exams, massage, acupuncture, dental cleanings and extractions, mental health counseling, and so much more. It was a banner year for helping artists and musicians access care, and it’s left us even more energized for the work ahead.
After 13 years of O+, we also realized a dream as old as the festival itself: in 2023 we established our new community clinic and wellness space for O+ alumni, expanding our services at the three-day festival and making them available 365 days a year.
This year-round clinic for artists and musicians is a groundbreaking healthcare and art space designed to cater to the unique needs of creative individuals, and will also be a site for hosting workshops, art exhibitions, and live music performances, creating a space where creativity and well-being intersect. The O+ Year Round Clinic ensures the health and vitality of artists and musicians and nourishes their artistic spirit, contributing to the cultural fabric of Kingston and the Hudson Valley.
When we started O+ in 2010, the Affordable Care Act was just taking off. In some ways, we thought (and hoped) that it would make O+ obsolete – that people who make art and music wouldn’t have to choose between pursuing their gifts and affording basic healthcare. And while the ACA has made a massive difference in people being able to access care, many artists still fall into a coverage gap.
The impact of inadequate coverage is something we’ve seen and heard firsthand from our alumni, and it’s the driving force behind our work. This is our “why.”
Shortly after the festival, we hosted our first cohort of alumni and providers to pilot our exchange platform with Trust Up. As we move into the new year, we’re continuing to gather input, refine our tools and systems, and start scheduling patients and getting care for artists and musicians. We’ve been working toward this space for 13 years, but we’re only just beginning.
Music
2023 marked one of our most ambitious festival programs yet, with more than 50 bands and nearly 200 total performers across 8 stages around Kingston, including two new venues: an intimate evening at Utility Bike Works, and an afterparty at Tubby’s to close out the festival. We also partnered for a second year with the Ulster County Italian American Foundation programming the eclectic “ItalianO+” stage at their popular downtown event, expanding the audience for O+’s programming and mission.
Even with biblical rain on Saturday, the festival flourished. Thanks to one giant circus tent, the Kingston Fire Department, and our good friends at Rough Draft, we were able to move our outdoor performers indoors or under tents and kept all stages running as programmed.
In 2023 we continued our “Summer SessiO+n” events bringing live music from O+ Festival alums and beyond to venues around the Kingston area, and celebrating O+ new and longstanding partnerships. We kicked off at Del’s Roadside, hosted a free block party with Rough Draft Bar & Books, and teamed up with Queer Conspiracy for a joyful, sweaty dance party to celebrate Pride Month. We also hosted a successful fundraiser with a national touring act !!! (Chk Chk Chk) at Keegan Ales to help launch our year-round clinic and exchange space.
O+ continued to boost our outreach efforts by tabling at music venues and events throughout the Hudson Valley, as well as partnering with the Brooklyn-based Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health to raise awareness around mental health issues in the music community and combat the stigma that often prevents people from seeking help. These efforts deepen our relationships with the Hudson Valley creative community and help expose our mission and work to new audiences, while also establishing new partnerships with organizations working to break down barriers to care for artists and musicians.
Art
In 2023, the O+ art program served as a conduit for connection, expansion, and education as we created our largest-scale public art piece to date, broadened our art programming across genres, and deepened our investment in finding educational pathways for young and emerging artists in the Hudson Valley.
Acclaimed artist, activist, and physician jetsonorama returned to Kingston to produce the first large-scale mural on Kingston’s Green Line linear park – and the second-largest mural in Kingston, at two stories and 115 feet long. I’m going home like a shooting star features three contemporary Black poets raising their voices in response to the legacy of Sojourner Truth. Across three panels, the viewer is presented with an excerpt of a larger work by each poet while being confronted with the power, vision, and vulnerability of both the countenance and words of the writers standing in their truth and humanity at (literally) 20 feet tall.
Also added to Kingston’s Greenline this year was the stunning mural by Singha Hon filled with woodland creatures, mountain skylines, and a reminder of the sublime natural world that we are blessed to have access to each day in the Hudson Valley.
Beyond the festival mural program, we partnered with Red Maple Vineyard on a stunning new artwork created by 2022 O+ Alum and international artist Pau Quintanajornet. These two beautiful murals frame the outdoor spaces of Red Maple’s new production facility and tap & tasting room, celebrating not only their incredible beer and wine but also the art and music of the region.
WO+rd, our beloved literary program, had its first headlining act at the 2023 O+ Festival. Renowned poet, educator, and activist Mahogany L. Browne lit up the sanctuary of The Old Dutch Church Saturday night, leading the audience in a powerful meditation with the accompaniment of bassist Max Michael Jacob.
Lastly, in 2023 we invested more deeply in our partnership with The D.R.A.W. Kingston, beginning a year-long mural education and engagement program with their Pop Up Gallery Group (PUGG), a workforce development program for local youth using the local arts industry as an engine for experience and skill building. Through this program, led by O+ staff Aimee Gardner and Lindsey Wolkowicz, the PUGG students have learned more about the production, curation, and intention of the mural program, enjoyed Q&A sessions with O+ mural alumni, and created their own mini audio stories, documenting their reflections on local murals. O+’s goal is to eventually add audio to every mural in Kingston to increase accessibility and deepen the community’s understanding of this public art museum that has been developed over the last 13 years. The audio content allows us to add the artists’ voices to the walls, and through this partnership with PUGG, we also have an opportunity to add the perspectives of local young people to represent how these murals impact the residents of Kingston in their daily lives.
ART:
Corrine Rodriguez
Dillon Paul
Rafael Cruz
Adam Mastropaulo
w/ Lindsey Wolkowicz
EXPLO+RE WELLNESS:
Theresa Widmann
WO+RD:
Carolita Johnson
Cristopher Livecchi
MUSIC:
Sarah Perrotta
Greg Stovetop
Suzanne Hilleary
Hannah Greve
w/ Lara Hope and Laura Crimmins
CLINIC TEAM:
Dr. Lizette Edge, Wellness/Clinician
Jesse Scherer, LMT, Wellness/Clinic Coordinator
Kerry LaSalvia, RN
Andy Monk, Tech Coordinator
Diane Reeder, Green Room
Suzanne Hilleary, Volunteer Coordinator
Francesa Hoffman, Parade Coordinator
Saidee Sonnenberg, Mural Production Asst.
Sarah Duckler, Cycling
Hannah Greve, Front of House/Merch
Nick Carroll, Mural Asst.
Nikki Salvestrini, Mural Asst.
Dr. Lizette Edge, MD Wellness/Clinician
Lara Hope, Music
Laura Crimmins, Music
Lindsey Wolkowicz, Art
Erin Edge, Communications
Joe Concra, Co-Founder/Partnerships
Aimee Gardner, Operations
Jesse Scherer, LMT, Wellness/Clinic Coordinator
Lauren Gill, Technical/Web
Allison Young, Partnerships
Alanna Coby, Development
O+’s MISSION ON FILM AND IN ACTION
HUDSY followed three O+ artists – Roxiny, Shawnee Miller, and Pau Quintanajornet – through the 2022 festival to capture the O+ experience through their eyes. We are thrilled to share their full documentary short here, which was also featured in a film showcase at the 2023 festival.
Liabilities & Net Assets | Total |
Total Liabilities | $8,912.02 |
|---|---|
Net Assets | $615,538.50 |
Net Assets less Liabilities | $606,626.48 |