Since May 2006, I have been keeping a journal with links to press articles about arts and health initiatives and topics. The articles are mostly from the UK press with a few from America and the Republic of Ireland. It is not a comprehensive list, and I add items to it as and when I find them. I have found a good way to pick up articles that I might not otherwise have spotted is to set up a Google alert for 'art, OR arts, OR hospital, OR health, OR NHS -state-of-the-art location:uk [the state-of-the-art part is so it doesn't link to articles including that phrase, which seems to be used constantly in healthcare reporting and has nothing to do with art in our sense].
Leaving aside articles that are straight reporting of an arts project that has taken place in a hospital, it's noticeable how polarised debate is between those who argue that art(s) in the NHS is a waste of money and those arguing for a humane environment for patients. The question of who funded the work is generally treated as a complete irrelevance, which I would argue it isn't, as you can't 'waste public money' if it's not public money. You can find examples of strongly positive and negative articles in the same newspaper in the same year. It's actually a fascinating topic because of all the agendas competing to be heard in even the simplest article.
I'm with Prince Charles on this one. As he has noted: "It can't be easy to be healed in a soulless concrete box with characterless windows, inhospitable corridors, and purely functional wards. The spirit needs healing as well as the body." You can make that argument as he does, from a spiritual point of view, or you might just note that anti-depressant drugs are extremely expensive.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the context of external websites.
Sep 1
2010
Posted by: Josie
Trish Vella-Burrows from Canterbury Christ Church University will be leading a one-day course in ‘Music as a Therapeutic Medium for Engagement.
Saturday 25th September 10am-4pm, Bromley (Kent)
Cost: Develop Bromley members £70, non-members £90
Download Course details
Download Booking form
Aug 27
2010
Posted by: Josie
In 2011 MMU Arts for Health (Manchester) will be facilitating a series of master-classes with some of the UK’s leading practitioners and thinkers in Arts and Health. These will include input from Bromley by Bow Healthy Living Centre on General Practice, the Arts and Well-Being and Evaluation Methodologies for Practitioners.
Full details will be available from October 2010 on: http://www.artsforhealth.org/
Source: AHSW e-bulletin
Aug 27
2010
Posted by: Josie
Tuesday 14th September, 7- 8.30pm: Free
Liverpool Improvisation Collective are hosting a series of speaker events as part of their programme supported by Liverpool Culture’s 10 for 2010 – Dance Commissions. The launch of this series is a presentation about the ‘small things’ dance collective, ‘From Where You Are’ project at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Lisa Dowler and Cath Hawkins will be joined by Vicky Charnock and Julie Sellers, Alder Hey Arts Co-ordinator and Senior Play Specialist to discuss the development of groundbreaking movement and dance work on the neuro-medical and oncology wards. The event will include the launch of a booklet about the project.
Source: AHSW e-bulletin
Aug 26
2010
Posted by: Josie
There’s an article in the Times today about composers in residence in various unusual settings, including John Browne’s residency at King’s in London.
(Continue Reading …)
Aug 24
2010
Posted by: Josie
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in Kent are advertising for an Arts Co-ordinator.
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk//index.php?id=25&ne_post_id=47758
Closing date 3rd September.
Aug 18
2010
Posted by: Josie
Article from the local press in Bristol about spending on the arts in their local hospitals. The article has an odd tone – it tries to be balanced but as it doesn’t make any distinction between capital and revenue budgets or a clear distinction between exchequer (tax payer) NHS budgets and charitable fundraising, ends up making it sound like something dodgy has taken place. People just don’t get the distinction between capital and revenue, do they? It’s not like anyone in management in the NHS would ever be able to make a decision ‘we won’t upgrade that building, we’ll hire nurses with the money instead’. Budgets don’t work like that.
It is sad to see articles like this when arts in health in the Bristol area is flourishing. It just makes people in the field unwilling to talk to the press, knowing that whatever they say will be slanted to fit the underlying assumption that the minimum possible should be spent on the environment in public buildings (do we really all believe that?) Love the commenter who says the artwork should be provided by art students. It would be a lot more conceptual than the works mentioned/shown in the article! And I wonder who they think pays for framing, installation and maintenance of students’ artworks. Clue: it is not (generally) the students.
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/163-600-000-spent-art-Bristol-hospitals-years/article-2463420-detail/article.html
Source: SAH NewsBrief
Aug 9
2010
Posted by: Josie
Just come across a paper published in the Irish Medical Journal in 2007, ‘A Cure for the Soul? The Benefit of Live Music in the General Hospital.’ No particularly revolutionary conclusions, but nice to see a proper piece of evaluation rather than advocacy. Also, it is refreshing to actually be able to access the content rather than clicking on the paper only to find that it takes you to a journal subscription page (I understand journals have to charge something but wish more of them would price with freelancers in mind as well as institutions).
http://www.amnch.ie/departments/arts/reports/imjcureforthesoul.pdf
Aug 2
2010
Posted by: Josie
The new national website for arts and health in the UK is finally live, and looks very nice too.
http://www.cultureandwellbeing.org.uk/
Jul 26
2010
Posted by: Josie
Jul 15
2010
Posted by: Josie
[Source: London Arts and Health Forum]
Some of you will be aware that Arts and Business and the National Campaign for the Arts are establishing a National Culture Forum to provide input into discussions around cultural funding and future arts policy. The forum is to be elected and a wide range of arts practitioners are standing for election. Voting is open to all with an interest in the arts and it would be great to work to ensure that the voice for arts in health is heard in these discussions.
Voting is divided between categories for the scale of the organisation. There are a number of candidates with a specific interest in arts in health. In the ‘Small’ organisation category, Guy Eades, Director of Healing Arts on the Isle of Wight, Fergus Early, Artistic Director of Green Candle Dance Company and Damian Hebron, Director of London Arts in Health Forum are standing. Geoff Rowe, Chief Executive of the Big Difference Company is standing in the ‘Medium’ category and Tim Joss of the Rayne Foundation is standing in the ‘Large’ category.
It would be great to ensure the arts in health sector is represented on this Forum – so please vote – and tell your friends!
The closing date is next Monday 19 July at 5pm.
To vote: log on to http://www.artsandbusiness.org.uk/Central/arts-services/Culture-Forum.aspx
(It has been clarified by Arts & Business that anyone can vote.)
