Art, Entertainment, Culture, and Creativity for Good

Stories about using art and creativity to make a positive difference

Three highly artistic and colorful chairs, one with overhanging cords, another with colorful carpetlike padding, and the other shaped like a stool with lava spilling over the sides.

These artists transformed their mental health issues into chairs. When guests sit in them, the gallery takes on an added meaning

Art curator Sandra Davis set 14 chairs on display in the Arts Barn’s professional art gallery in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in the hopes of creating a new kind of conversation on mental health struggles.

A child sits at a desk, bored, resting his head on his hand

Screens have made it easier than ever for kids to avoid boredom. But here's why it's good for them to have nothing to do

Boredom serves a useful purpose, scientists say. It motivates people to pursue new goals and challenges.

A photo collage of a girl lying down in a hospital bed, a housing project with a car parked in front, and a man with his head bowed down as he sits at the dining table

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On the left, a young woman stands beside two cartoon creations she's made with an update reading that she donated $40,000 to mental health aid this year. On the right, a close-up of the front cover of "It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth."

This book has been hailed as one of the best graphic novels of the decade. Now it’s helped raise over $40K for mental health services

British artist Zoe Thorogood was just 23 when she penned “It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth.”

Taylor Swift donates $1M to Feeding America to help hungry families during the holidays

“This holiday season, her continued support is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we unite to end hunger,” the nonprofit’s CEO said in a statement.

A lit candle, the album art for the single "Sold Out," and Gracie Abrams singing into a microphone

Gracie Abrams just released a new song about mass shootings. All proceeds will go to reducing gun violence

Gracie Abrams, known for hits like “That’s So True” and “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” is tackling a new subject in her latest single: gun violence.

Dolly Parton stands in front of a wall of children's books with her arms outstretched

Over the last 30 years, Dolly Parton has donated more than 270 million books to children in need

Dolly Parton created the Imagination Library as a tribute to her father, who never learned how to read.

A photo collage of 2 bikers biking on a bicycle lane, a statue of Barbara Rose Johns holding up a book, hero Ahmed el Ahmed in his hospital bed, an aerial view of apartment buildings, and a line of solar panels

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A young man and woman sit together on a bench in a clothing store, smiling at a laptop

This clothing swap app lets shoppers use their own clothes as currency: 'An ever-changing wardrobe'

Closest Closet makes it easier to thrift and swap clothes while saving money, inviting users to trade clothing items instead of donating and buying.

Comedian Aaron Ross hosts a variety show next to a group of strippers on stage in Portland, Oregon

Strippers are now the No. 1 donor of toys to children's hospital in Portland. This year, they broke their own record

This year’s annual Tatas for Toys event “made it reindeer” even more than in years past.

A raccoon passed out next to a toilet in a liquor store bathroom

The viral 'drunk raccoon' now has a merch line. So far, it's raised $250K for a local animal shelter

Last month, an adorable wild raccoon broke into a liquor store and passed out. Now, he’s a cultural icon.

Sushma Devi (in green), a local woman trained in air quality mapping, demonstrates the use of an air quality monitor to women in Mahuda village, Dhanbad

A grassroots group of women mapped air pollution in their Indian village. It forced coal companies to act

Within three to four months of publishing their findings, the researchers said coal companies immediately took action to reduce air pollution.