Med School Classes…in the Art Museum: Residents at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston are required to attend “Art and Medicine Workshops” at the local Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) as part of their curriculum. The MFA’s head of gallery learning, Brooke DiGiovanni Evans, explains: “We focus on the human side of being a doctor.” Residents in the classes use artwork as a jumping off point to discuss different challenges of the medical field, including those that come from treating patients and managing a demanding lifestyle. The workshops are also great safe spaces for the doctors to connect with one another over common challenges and feelings about patient treatment. The MFA team leading the workshops are not officially art therapists, but still focus on “giving [residents] ways to connect with their patients [and] have empathy and understanding for what they’re going through.” Hopefully the success of this program will lead other medical educational institutions to consider implementing their own, so that future doctors everywhere can benefit from exposure to art and better understanding of the human condition.

A “Wall of Love” in the Wake of the Paris Attacks: Residents of the 10th Arrondissement in Paris have welcomed street artists to paint and decorate a block-long wall near two cafes that were hit in the November 2015 Paris Attacks. Two journalists for The New York Times have gathered images of some of the artwork as well as information about the stories behind them. Residents in the area reflect on feelings of helplessness after the attacks, with one woman explaining: “We wanted to do something.” The wall is bringing the community together in a grand artistic effort; one artist even had his 6-year-old daughter help him paint his piece on the wall. Artist Sara Chelou explained the therapeutic and healing aspect of contributing to the community work: “I used to make street art for political reasons, and suddenly I’ve seen the importance of street art to make memories…It’s like putting flowers in front of a place, but many people can interact with it.” May these wonderful and inspiring paintings last much longer than flowers and continue to inspire and heal those who contribute and behold.

First Grammy Nomination from Malawi: The country of Malawi has received its first grammy nomination, thanks to an album made by 14 prisoners and two guards at the maximum-security Zomba prison. The album, entitled “I Have No Everything Here,” contains tracks about sin, forgiveness, lessons, and loss and offers insight into the lives of the artists themselves. Produced by American Ian Brennan, who traveled the world for original music, the album has been an unexpected boon for the little-known nation and brought attention to a particularly bleak penal system. Prisoners explain how music allowed them to reflect on their own experiences and spread advice they wish they had heeded earlier in their lives. The album features pieces performed by both male and female prisoners, though initially the women were barred from participating and received no support or musical supplies from authorities like their male counterparts. For a fascinating look into the story behind this inspirational and ground-breaking album, read on here.

OK Go, At It Again: Alternative rock band OK Go has become famous for their elaborate music videos, as they’ve done everything from treadmill dance routines to mind-blowing Rube Goldberg machines. Their most recent video, released last Thursday and already boasting over 2 million views, takes them off the ground and into the Earth’s atmosphere as they perform in zero gravity for the song “Upside Down & Inside Out.” The video captures the band’s performance in one of Russia’s S7 Airlines’ jets, which allow occupants to experience zero gravity for roughly half a minute per flight and are used to train cosmonauts for space travel. Despite the intricacy of their previous videos, guitarist Andy Ross claims this video was “probably the hardest to pull off,” thanks in part to the physical demand of repeatedly riding a plane nicknamed the “vomit comet.” The half-minute segments from the flights are strung together seamlessly for an other-worldly, delightful result. The video solidifies OK Go’s reputation as a group of extremely talented artists who are dedicated to exploring new ideas and celebrating boundless and ridiculously fun creativity. Whether or not you like the song, the video is sure to keep you mesmerized.