#3 Arts as Public Health Service – 14.03.2024
What can the arts do for public health? Throughout Europe, there are many examples of artist-driven projects that directly address communities with special needs. Whether it is the “arts on prescription” program in the Baltic Sea region or dance classes for people with chronic diseases. Arts can do a lot for an individual’s well-being, but does this imply that artists are obliged to cover needs or gaps in the social system? EAIPA’s online event ‚Arts as Public Health Service‘ – in the framework of its ongoing 2023/2024 event series ‚Artists in Focus‘ – will bring different stakeholders to the table to discuss how artistic activities can benefit public health, what the structural implementation of ‚arts on prescription‘ can look like and why it is not just people with chronic diseases who can benefit from regular interactions with artistic activities.
The latest research into the relationship between arts and (public) health will be discussed with leading experts Jordi Baltà Portolés (author of the European Dancehouse Network’s 2021 report Dance and Well-being) and Edith Wolf Perez (founder and managing director of Arts for Health Austria). Dr Tola Dabiri, National Lead for Arts and Culture at the National Academy for Social Prescribing in the UK, will explain how the arts and culture social prescribing in the UK works. The new Interreg Baltic Sea Region project ‚Arts on Prescription‘ will be presented by project manager Stine Eskesen Keiding from the Kulturregion Fyn and the Municipality of Odense in Denmark. And former ballet master Andrew Greenwood will talk about his Dutch organization switch2move, which focuses on working with dementia, Parkinson’s and MS patients, while Ivan Koruza from the Slovenian Association of Arts and Culture Društvo Asociacija will talk about bringing artistic interventions into businesses. Afterwards, there will be time for questions and discussion.
Program:
- Welcome by Ulrike Kuner (EAIPA president)
- The Health Benefits of the Arts: The latest research into the relationship between arts and (public) health will be discussed with leading experts.
- Social Prescribing:The work and models of different arts on prescription programs will be presented by national and international project managers.
- Project Experiences: Performing artists will talk about their projects and experiences working with different health and business communities.
Guests include: Jordi Baltà Portolés, Edith Wolf Perez, Dr Tola Dabiri, Stine Eskesen Keiding, Andrew Greenwood, Ivan Koruza, and more…