WHO WE ARE

    O+ (pronounced “O Positive”) was established in 2010 in Kingston, NY when a small group of artist-activists, a few doctors, and a dentist came together with the idea to bring a band to town in exchange for dental work. We all benefit from the arts, and yet creative people in our communities continue to struggle with access to affordable healthcare. So we thought: What if we took money out of the system and instead valued each other’s work equally? A dental filling is as valuable as a painting, a song keeps us well like a check-up with a primary care doctor, and so on.  

    Three months after that initial meeting, O+ Festival – and the first exchange of the art of medicine for the medicine of art  – was born.

    Over the last 13 years, O+ has expanded in all ways. What started as a conversation between a dentist and an artist has grown into a national nonprofit working to help creatives of all stripes access health and wellness services, amplify the importance of arts, and build more resilient communities. 

    O+ is headquartered in Kingston, NY, on the ancestral lands of the Munsee Lenape People. We take inspiration from their healing and well-being practices in addition to their legacy of exchange.

    Meet our National Team

    WHAT WE DO

    Exchanging with others is a time-honored tradition. At O+ we developed a model that we call “exchanging the art of medicine for the medicine of art.” We do this primarily through the O+ Festival, an annual weekend-long celebration where musicians, and artists of all genres, mediums, and modalities come together to share their gifts with the public in exchange for a variety of services donated by doctors, dentists, and complementary care providers. Since 2013, we’ve provided thousands of health services to creatives in the Hudson Valley and beyond. 

    We also build long-term relationships between creatives and health & wellness providers to help strengthen local communities. We partner with local organizations and practitioners to provide Narcan and CPR training in Kingston, organize expos of local health-related nonprofits, and offer cycling events, classes in the healing arts, mural tours, music performances, dance parties, and healthcare forums.

    In 2023, O+  hired a medical doctor to establish Exchange Wellness, PLLC –  a year-round, no-cost, exchange-based clinic for artists and musicians. The goal is to expand the services we have provided at the annual three-day O+ Festival into a sustainable model for care available 365 days a year.

    O+ Mission

    Through the exchange of art and music for medicine, O+ empowers communities to take control of their collective wellbeing

    Mission

    O+ empowers communities to take control of their collective well-being through the exchange of art and music for medicine. When artists and musicians thrive, so too do culture and our communities as a whole.

    Vision

    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.

    Values

    Radical: We are committed to building more equitable and just models of care that value the contributions of each individual to communities as a whole. 

    Compassionate: We recognize the dignity and humanity within each individual and take action to create meaningful change in our communities. We operate on principles of mutual respect, collaboration, and empathy. 

    Creative: We are a group of artists, musicians, and makers. We value curiosity and seek out innovative ways to support creative communities.

    O+ envisions thriving, diverse communities where a person’s value is based on their contribution to the whole and everyone has access to the arts and wellness.

    AIMS

    • Help O+ audiences and participants access the breadth of wellness services & healing modalities locally available
    • Curate work from artists who have been marginalized and/or underrepresented
    • Produce public art that reflects the history and culture of our diverse communities
    • Celebrate and amplify the work of writers, musicians, and artists of all genres, mediums, modalities, and identities
    • Connect our alumni with healthcare providers, wellness practitioners, preventative health education, and pathways to care
    • Collaborate with organizations like The Entertainment Community Fund, Sound Mind, HAAM, etc., that share our values and the goal of building networks of accessible care for creative communities
    • Use our collective talents to heal and strengthen the neighborhoods that we call home
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    Mission

    O+ empowers communities to take control of their collective well-being through the exchange of art and music for medicine. When artists and musicians thrive, so too do culture and our communities as a whole.

    Vision

    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.

    Values

    Radical: We are committed to building more equitable and just models of care that value the contributions of each individual to communities as a whole. 

    Compassionate: We recognize the dignity and humanity within each individual and take action to create meaningful change in our communities. We operate on principles of mutual respect, collaboration, and empathy. 

    Creative: We are a group of artists, musicians, and makers. We value curiosity and seek out innovative ways to support creative communities.

    Underinsured artists and musicians create and perform in exchange for a variety of services donated by doctors, dentists and complementary care providers. O+ (pronounced O Positive) calls this exchange the art of medicine for the medicine of art.

    WHO WE ARE

    Founded in 2010 in Kingston, NY by a small group of artists-activists, doctors and a dentist, O+ is now a national nonprofit working in cities around the country.

    WHAT WE DO

    We build long-term relationships between creatives and health & wellness providers to help strengthen local communities. Our year-round efforts culminate in one-day and weekend-long celebrations, during which underinsured artists and musicians create and perform in exchange for a variety of services donated by doctors, dentists and complementary care providers.
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    Press

    To interview a member of the team, connect with one of our alumni, or obtain high-res photos, contact

    " ... an event where artists and musicians create works and performances in exchange for healthcare services, sparked offshoots nationwide and helped put Kingston back on the map as a city worth investing in due to its caring community"
    "...it looks as though, one mission at a time, Kingston is piecing together the infrastructure for a self-sufficient community"
    "The concept of trading gigs for health services struck a chord with Concra, who knew firsthand that artists tend to be underinsured"
    "Nurses gave the artists physicals and directed them to more targeted care, such as mental health providers, craniosacral therapy, dental care or massages."
    "While the model remains the same – artists doing their thing before or after receiving care from health practitioners – each festival is a locally produced undertaking."
    "What I love so much about the O+ mission and model is that it really helps those that are often underserved."
    "...quietly radical mission: Allow musicians and artists to exchange art and performance for health care services donated by doctors, dentists, and other providers."
    "There are 28 bands and three mural artists slated to perform through the weekend, and all have been able to stop at the O+ clinic set up in on Main Street staffed with nurses and doctors."
    "In the national debate over health care and the Affordable Care Act, one sliver of the population has received relatively little attention: musicians, artists and other creative workers, who are often self-employed and frequently uninsured."
    "Trading art for health care"
    "A festival where uninsured artists and musicians exchange work for medical attention is attracting interest from organizers and physicians across the country looking to replicate the model"
    "Every artist was able to attend the clinic, get a checkup from a nurse, and attend three other health practices at the festival. Options ranged from dentistry to podiatry to homeopathy to chiropractics."
    "The festival re-imagines the terms of exchange between artists and musicians and the communities in which they practice their craft."
    "These are the kind of creative solutions that bridge the gap in caring for one another."
    "By demonstrating that “another world is possible,” these festivals are creating a different paradigm."
    "At the O+ Festival, art and music are exchanged for fillings, physical therapy, routine physician’s exams, and other health services."
    "By placing music and murals on the same level as health and vitality, O+ puts a holistic price on art and draws a bold metaphor between physical and cultural health."
    "Buckner has participated in the O+ Festival, which creates an opportunity for artists and musicians who don't have medical insurance to swap performances or artwork for a chance to visit a healthcare professional."
    "A lot of my work is inspired by the idea that migration is natural."
    "O+ Poughkeepsie is the latest O+ Festival — named for the blood type — to be staged nationwide and the second in the Hudson Valley."
    "He was completely swept up in the love and support his son was receiving."
    "One could say that the mission of O+ is even more vital than when it debuted in 2010."
    "Kingston is also home to the O+ Festival, which was started in 2010 by a group of artist-activists, doctors and a dentist."
    "It breaks down barriers and creates an environment in which healing can happen without the onus of an invoice."

    Read O+'s IRS Form 990