We support the Healing Arts Barcelona Declaration for promoting Arts in Health

As part of its commitment to promoting Arts in Health, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu has signed up to support the Healing Arts Barcelona Declaration together with the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), the Catalan Health Institute (ICS) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF).

This initiative, outlined in a joint ten-point document, stems from the success of the first Healing Arts movement conference held in Barcelona. In this edition, Torrents d'Art, the Arts in Health programme at Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, took part with the screening of the short documentary Five Days to Break Down Walls and a panel discussion on artistic interventions in prisons at Cinemes Girona.

Healing Arts Barcelona has gathered more than 125 activities across Catalonia with the involvement of hundreds of professionals, artists, institutions and members of the public who have demonstrated that the arts are a real asset for health and wellbeing.

The declaration aims to set up a framework of shared principles to guide the development of evidence-based policies, programmes and practices connecting the arts and health as drivers of wellbeing, equity and social sustainability.

• You can see the full declaration here.

 

Torrents d'Arts, the Arts in Health programme at Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu

The Torrents d'Art programme was kicked off in 2011 by a multidisciplinary team from the Psychiatric Hospitalisation Unit at Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu with the backing of Sant Boi Town Council.

The initial goal was to combat the stigma associated with mental health problems by fostering community interaction and engagement between mental health service users and local residents.

Over the years, several studies have confirmed that the relationship between art and health goes much further. The programme has thus evolved and now has a twofold purpose:

• Fostering Arts in Health as a way of preventing mental health issues and improving emotional wellbeing.
• Promoting the social inclusion of people with mental health experiences.

The Torrents d'Art programme currently has around fifty artistic and cultural workshops on the go and sixteen services which regularly run cultural outings for their users.

Arts in Health

Arts in Health is an expanding field which harnesses artistic options such as music, theatre, visual arts and dance to enhance individuals' physical, emotional and social wellbeing. The approach can be used in hospital, community or educational settings and has a growing scientific basis demonstrating its positive impact on wellness, illness prevention and clinical recovery.

The Healing Arts Barcelona event comes after the agreement between the ministries of Health and Culture to mainstream and promote culture in public policies, especially in mental health. Cultural prescribing and tapping cultural assets are to be encouraged along with delivering training for cultural and health professionals.

Ernest Urtasun, the Minister of Culture, points that "scientific evidence clearly shows how cultural participation lessens stress and anxiety, improves mental health, builds community ties and even alleviates suffering in palliative care. These are not metaphors: they are measurable, real and transformational outcomes."