NeuroSalon: Where Science Meets the Arts

I recently came across a 2022 article from Lehigh University about a project called NeuroSalon — and though it’s a few years old, the idea still feels wonderfully alive.

Anna Murphy. (2022). A Little of Plasticity [Digital image]

Led by neuroscientist and jazz musician Dr. Julie Miwa, NeuroSalon invites students from diverse majors to translate neuroscience into art. It began as part of Lehigh’s Mountaintop Summer Experience, where participants explore how the brain learns and adapts, not only through study but through creation.

Miwa’s own research focuses on the LYNX1 gene, which influences brain plasticity—the brain’s ability to stay flexible and keep learning. She believes art and music can help sustain that adaptability, keeping the mind young and open. Through NeuroSalon, students have painted, composed, and danced to express scientific concepts like neuroplasticity and DNA of You, bringing science to life in ways that invite curiosity rather than intimidation.

Reading about it reminded me how natural it is for artists, therapists, and scientists to meet on the same bridge of wonder. Whether in a lab or a studio, both worlds are asking the same questions—about how we grow, connect, and make sense of being human.

Perhaps that’s the quiet beauty of projects like NeuroSalon: they remind us that creativity itself is a form of brain plasticity—a way to keep the mind alive, supple, and endlessly curious.

Zena Meighan. (2022). Beauty of Neurons [Ink on paper]

Zena Meighan. (2022). The Conversation [Ink on paper]

Anna Murphy. (2022). Child vs Adult [Acrylic on canvas]

Deirdre Murphy. (2022). Nest

“Integration is at the heart of well-being. Creativity blossoms when the left and right hemispheres of the brain dance together.”— Dr. Daniel J. Siegel

Links: Lehigh News – NeuroSalon: Exploring the Intersection Between the Sciences and the Arts: https://news.lehigh.edu/neurosalon-exploring-the-intersection-between-the-sciences-and-the-arts NeuroSalon Art Gallery: https://www.neurosalon.net/artwork

Instagram: @neurosaslon