
Art in Healthcare’s mission is to provide engaging and impactful creative opportunities to support and improve the mental and physical health and wellbeing of individuals in Scotland. Many of these activities take place in community, health and social care settings and most are collaborative.
We know that art can help people to feel better and believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience art. As inequalities in society and within access to healthcare grow, Art in Healthcare is providing services that are needed more than ever, and demand for our services is high.
“Creativity is not just nice to have, but central to supporting people to live well, and in the creation of healthier, happier and economically flourishing communities.”[1]
We share our art collection and art workshops with individuals and communities that are under-served by mainstream arts provision. We work across Scotland, identifying and mitigating barriers to participation. We place our large art collection in non-gallery spaces like hospitals and GP surgeries and take art workshops to people in their communities, both in person and online. This approach allows us to work with individuals and communities who would otherwise not be engaging with art, artists or creative activities. All workshops are free at the point of delivery.
We support creative journeys, rooted in art and expression. Whilst what brings people together might be a shared experience of caring, feelings of loneliness or a health condition, our workshops provide space for participants to explore techniques, experiment with materials, develop friendships, build confidence and express hope.
Caring Spaces is an example of one of our collaborative projects. In partnership with VOCAL (Voice of Carers across Lothian) and Carers of East Lothian, this project offers carers a supportive environment to explore various artistic techniques, including collage, painting, ceramics, sculpture, drawing and printmaking. Facilitated by Juliana Capes, a multidisciplinary artist and parent carer herself, the programme provides participants with a much-needed respite from their daily responsibilities, fostering a sense of community and personal expression.
Feedback from carers about recent arts-based sessions include:
“First session, we all met face to face. I’ve never done anything like this since high school. I absolutely loved it. I didn’t really care what other people thought (which is a first for me) and just loved being creative and doing my own thing. Without judgment. Thank you for this unique opportunity to help express myself in a creative way”
“It has been a very welcome release, and opportunity to explore and develop my creativity. The art sessions are well paced with lots of chance to ask questions or seek assistance. I am an art novice and don’t feel judged or out of my depth, as there is implicit acceptance of all skill levels. It was very generous ato be provided with such an array of art materials for us all to use. I am delighted that I signed up to the course.”
As we look to the future, we will continue to develop, responding to the changing context in which we operate. Our focus will be upon maintaining and growing our current programme, enabling us to maximise our impact. We will further develop our role as a sector leader and influencer, by sharing our learning and expertise and advocating for policy change for the benefit of individuals living across Scotland.
[1] The National Centre for Creative Health and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing’s Creative Health Review: How Policy Can Embrace Creative Health, 2023.
We’re excited to have Art In Healthcare exhibiting in our Health Creation Hub at this year’s Annual Conference.
Make sure to drop by and see their stall!