Event highlights
13 September 2024
In collaboration with WHO/Europe, the Scottish Ballet and the Jameel Arts & Health Lab produced Healing Arts Scotland, the first-ever week-long, nationwide exploration of how the arts impact health, featuring over 100 events across Scotland.
A highlight of the week was the opening ceremony, a public performance presented by the Scottish Ballet with a community cast of dancers of different ages and abilities, supported by a joyful showcase of mass music-making.
Throughout the festival and in different locations, from Edinburgh to Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands and islands, policy-makers and public health experts discussed the health benefits of engaging in culture and the arts, to develop a common language and joint action between the health and cultural sectors.
The week brought together people from all over Scotland to enjoy the arts together and learn about how they can improve health. Many of the partners involved in the event – from arts to health institutions such as the Scottish Ballet and Public Health Scotland – will stay engaged and offer arts workshops and events to promote the positive health effects of the arts. In particular, the Scottish Government is exploring the development of social prescribing mechanisms that can bring evidence-based arts and health activities into the health system.
Event notice
19 – 23 August 2024, United Kingdom (Scotland)
Developed in collaboration with WHO/Europe and produced by Scottish Ballet and the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, Healing Arts Scotland runs from 19–23 August 2024 and encompasses over 100 events in cities, towns and rural communities across the United Kingdom (Scotland). It is the first Healing Arts event of its kind, spanning over a week with events across an entire country.
The week’s programme
The week-long programme celebrates a growing body of evidence that the arts can improve our mental and physical health. Whether it’s dance classes, choir rehearsals, creative writing workshops or pot-throwing, events will take place daily that help improve people’s well-being. Healing Arts Scotland highlights the joy and hope that the arts can bring to those who take part.
Some key events during the week include an outdoor large-scale Opening Celebration at the Scottish Parliament as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, a 2-day Healing Arts Conference on the impact of healing arts activity, a Well-being Concert in Glasgow, and community events in Aberdeen, Orkney, Shetland and Lewis.
The arts are good for health
Participation in and creation of the arts can benefit health and well-being in different ways by, for example, helping someone to cope with their emotions after an injury or difficult diagnosis.
WHO/Europe research has shown that the use of artistic media in health care and in communities can have a variety of benefits for health outcomes. They can be used to:
- communicate valuable messages across cultures and political divides;
- help affected communities understand the risks of certain diseases or behaviours; and
- provide ways for affected populations to process and learn from their individual and collective experience to improve their well-being.