Medicine Wheel Productions activates the transformative power of art to heal individuals and communities. For three decades Medicine Wheel has supported and engaged artists of all disciplines, putting creative expression at the center of social action and change in Boston and beyond. Medicine Wheel forges a common path of equity, civic dialogue, and social justice through visual art, dance, poetry, and spoken-word performance. Its award-winning public programs empower artists and youth to triage critical community needs, from addiction and alcoholism to racial justice, LBGTQ+ rights, HIV/AIDS, environmental stewardship, and climate change. Medicine Wheel serves a public that is racially, socioeconomically, and culturally diverse.

Medicine Wheel’s signature event is “A Day Without Art,” the cultural community’s annual response to the AIDS crisis. Launched in 1992, “A Day Without Art ” has established itself as Boston’s largest annual observation of World AIDS Day. This year the organization extended the event through February in partnership with a range of Black artists, health care organizations, and advocates, to mark National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Medicine Wheel also supports and promotes contemporary, Boston-area artists in its Spoke Gallery, hosts adult painting classes, and organizes an annual artist retreat.

Medicine Wheel’s work in creative youth development empowers teens and young adults find their voice through the arts to deepen self-understanding, recover from addiction, and make a difference in their communities. This work has garnered numerous awards, including the Social Innovator-Youth Arts Social Innovation Forum at RootCause, Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center, and the Harvard School of Public Health’s Boston Peace Prize.