We need new ways to resist the War on Drugs that center social justice and compassionately address drug use in our communities. In this hands-on workshop, an anthropologist and a community artist will offer a historical grounding in harm reduction as a grassroots movement and practical set of strategies to address drug-related harms. Based on our shared learning about the subversive role of art in harm reduction education and community organizing, we will engage in our own art-making as a methodology to revitalize the contributions of creativity and collaboration in improving community health. No artistic training is required!
Revitalizing community health through the art of harm reduction.






Art has taken a central role in the history of harm reduction, offering an important means to share information, demonstrate understanding, express vulnerability and build trust, encourage creative thinking, and connect with one another to build community. Our workshops build on this history to create community among students.





Community Care through the Art of Harm Reduction:
An Art Workshop
UCR School of Medicine, May 13, 2026
We hosted a workshop about harm reduction at the UCR School of Medicine, with mostly UCR Masters of Public Health (MPH) students in attendance. The goal was to teach and create art about harm reduction as a practice of community care. MPH student Sarah Zimmerman shared her experiences volunteering at Inland Empire Harm Reduction. Harm reduction as a liberatory practice is relevant to public health because it not only addresses drug use, but recognizes the importance of the social determinants of health and pushes back against stigma and criminalization.

The Art of
Harm Reduction
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