Creative wellbeing through accessible art-making.

Wellness centered art experiences for workplaces, healthcare environments, schools, teams, communities, and everyday life.

Creating spaces where people feel calmer, more connected, and creatively confident - regardless of artistic experience.

Our approach.

Process over perfection

Accessible for all levels

Thoughtfully designed

At Elevate Art & Connection, we believe creativity is more than self-expression - it’s a powerful tool for well-being, connection, and restoration.

We bring thoughtfully designed workshops, restorative gatherings, and creative wellness experiences to:

  • Workplaces & Teams

  • Healthcare & Caregivers

  • Schools & Universities

  • Athletic Teams

  • Community & Social Gatherings

  • Individuals & Families

Creativity in everyday life - where people gather, reflect, and connect.

Let’s create something meaningful together.

Get in touch

Ways to Work with Elevate

  • A group of women gathered in a kitchen, listening to a woman in a red blouse speaking and gesturing with her hands.

    For Organizations

    Custom creative wellness experiences for workplaces, corporate events, healthcare and educational settings, teams, and community organizations.

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  • Art supplies on a white table, including coloring pages with botanical designs, a watercolor palette, colored pencils, a small easel, decorative napkins, a brown pillow, and a green shopping bag labeled 'ELEVATE Art & Connection.'

    ArtBreak Kits

    Portable art materials and lessons designed to encourage calm creative pause anywhere.

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  • Person painting a colorful rainbow on a strip of paper using watercolor paints. On the table are jars with water, a glass with a green drink, a water bottle with cucumber and lemon slices, and art supplies.

    Public & Private Art Experiences

    “Color & Calm” and other welcoming creative gatherings designed for reflection, connection, and accessible art-making.

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Behind Elevate.

Nicole Manni founded Elevate Art & Connection with the belief that creativity can be a powerful tool for well-being, connection, and restoration when approached in an accessible, low-pressure way.

With over 15 years of experience as an art educator and a background in museum community engagement and accessibility work, Nicole has spent her career helping people feel welcomed into creative experiences — regardless of artistic background, age, or ability.

Prior to founding Elevate Art & Connection, Nicole worked at the Museum of Science, where she focused on community relations, accessibility initiatives, and increasing engagement with underrepresented audiences. Her work included developing inclusive programming, supporting individuals with disabilities, and helping organizations create more welcoming and meaningful experiences for diverse communities.

Nicole’s approach to creative wellness has also been shaped through her training and service as a hospice patient care and community volunteer, where she witnessed firsthand the importance of presence, reflection, and gentle moments of connection during difficult seasons of life. She incorporated creative activities and art-making into these experiences as a supportive and human-centered form of engagement and commemoration.

Today, Nicole designs and facilitates creative wellness experiences for workplaces, healthcare environments, schools, athletic teams, museums, community organizations, and individuals seeking moments of connection, calm, and reflection through art-making.

Her approach blends creativity, accessibility, and wellness in a way that emphasizes process over perfection. Participants are invited to slow down, reconnect, and engage in art-making not as an end result, but as a supportive human experience.

Nicole’s work is grounded in the belief that you do not need to be an “artist” to benefit from creativity.

A woman with brown hair wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans standing in front of a painted mural of a pond with lily pads and green vegetation.
Meet Nicole

What People are Experiencing

“Hosting a 20-minute session with Elevate Art & Connection was the perfect addition to our programming.

Our staff loved having a brief, beginner-friendly opportunity to pause, create, and connect virtually amidst the holiday hustle.

The session was extremely well-received - reinforcing that sometimes the most meaningful well-being moments come from giving employees space to practice self-care rather than just hear about it.”

A. Perron, Employee Well-Being Program Manager, SNHU

“I have been trying to watercolor for years now, but didn’t have any idea where to start.

Your ArtBreak Kit made it simple to finally give in!

All the materials decisions were made along with some very easy starting prompts.”

Your ‘Color & Calm’ art experience made things click even more for me! My eyes are open to the beauty of the process and how soothing and meditative it is.

I had no idea how much I needed this in my life.”

G. Howard, “Color & Calm” participant + ArtBreak Kit owner

“Our team had an incredible time working on this collaborative art project - fun, engaging, and surprisingly relaxing.

It brought colleagues together in new ways, and the completed piece now displayed in our office continues to inspire connection and pride.”

J. Bissonette, CGI Business Solutions