How can art become a lasting part of healthcare and wellbeing?
Why does art become part of everyday care in one organisation, while in another it remains a temporary project? In one hospital an arts coordinator walks the wards, perhaps leaving a book by a patient’s bed, or bringing a musician onto the ward, or connecting healthcare professionals with an arts workshop. In another hospital, arts activities depend on volunteers. At one nursing home a foundation organises more than a hundred concerts each year for patients and staff, while another nursing home has no budget for it.
For its 2026 report on the key ingredients of successful arts in health practice, the Practice Working Group of Arts in Health Netherlands surveyed people who work in arts in health every day: in nursing, arts coordination, social design, and community arts centre administration. The surveys revealed many differences among programs as well as similarities, providing insight into what helps to make an arts in health program successful.
Sustainable programs have ‘connectors’ from the start
Almost everyone surveyed reported that arts in health programs need a ‘connector’: someone who can see opportunities for arts in health programming, who can also bring people together to share inspiration and develop a project. Often the connector is without formal authority, promoting new programs in the form of small pilots. A committed and connected team is required to get such pilots off the ground, and to keep them going.
The connector should have an understanding of both the arts and healthcare. Part of the connector’s role is to support a program’s artists while involving healthcare professionals, building relationships across the organisation, and helping leaders to see what arts in Health can bring to care. When progress is slow, the connector stays visible among healthcare staff and administration, advocating for the project.
Successful projects and programs depend upon people who take arts in health to heart. Social designers Sjaak Langenberg and Rosé de Beer describe their approach as “being present”. The connector is an advocate, who always shows up, asks the right questions, and builds connections.
Practitioners are professionals
The survey focused on ‘participatory’ Arts in Health practice, rather than creative arts therapies. While therapists use the arts to help patients achieve therapeutic outcomes, participatory artists support wellbeing without predicting health outcomes. One thing that survey respondents all agreed upon was that a strong arts in health practice depends on trained artists who can work in a professional manner. The artist must know how to encourage non-artists to explore their creativity, while also providing challenges and new perspectives.
In the Netherlands, organisations that staff Arts in Health programs understand the need for training. For example, Galerie Atelier Herenplaats, which prefers to work with professionally trained artists. Stichting Appeltaartconcerten carefully selects all its musicians, and invests in their development. CliniClowns provides an extensive training program for its performers, and encourages continued training at later stages of their artists’ careers.
A good idea needs to be heard in the boardroom
Making room for the arts takes organisational and even community support. Even though arts in health pilot projects can produce inspiring outcomes, the practice only becomes sustainable when it is embedded in its organisation or institution. Embedding looks different in each practice context. For example, the arts coordinator for GGzE has a permanent position in the organisation. Vitalis now has people on its management team who champion arts in health. Amsterdam UMC has its own arts department to support Arts in Health projects.
The survey suggests that arts in health programs also require the support of senior leadership in healthcare organisations and institutions. Moreover, support for programs grows best when leadership sees the arts activities and their outcomes for themselves.
Experience of arts in health changes perspectives. When an organisation’s leaders directly experience how the arts can support wellbeing among staff or patients, they are more likely to recognise the value of arts in health.
Make the work visible
Other ways to make arts in health projects visible is through exhibitions, descriptive videos, participants’ stories, and concerts. Participants feel proud, colleagues become engaged, and decision-makers see why the work should continue.
Marike Soeterik, project lead for Arts and Wellbeing in Amsterdam, suggests that a short video often has more impact than a lengthy presentation. When an actual participant shares their own experience at a community meeting, people immediately understand why this work matters.
Art changes organisations, too
Artists bring more than creative activities. They also help people see each other in new ways.
One example of this is Progress vs Regress by artist Melanie Bonajo. Bonajo worked with nursing home residents to create a film about their lives, their thoughts on technology, and their hopes for the future. The film focused on the residents themselves––as people––rather than on their care needs.
That shift in perspective can change an organisation, as care teams see residents differently, and leaders begin asking new questions. Because the arts can change perspectives, some artists see themselves not only as makers, but also as agents of change, helping healthcare professionals discover new possibilities, through experimentation, reflection, and learning together in arts programs.
Funding and sustainability matter
Embedding Arts in Health in an organisation also requires sustainable funding. In practice, a combination of funding sources often proves the most resilient. Healthcare budgets, public and private funders, municipalities, and cultural partners can reinforce one another, making it possible to build a sustainable, lasting project.
Want to read more?
The Dutch report ‘Werkzame elementen in kunst, zorg en welzijn’ explores the factors that professionals say help arts in health initiatives succeed and endure. Download the report to explore the insights, practical examples, and recommendations from the field.
The report Key Elements for Embedding the Arts in Health and Care was written by Atty Bax (Kunstloc Brabant), Joyce Vlaming (AxionContinu) and Finn Minke (LKCA) for the Practice working group of Arts in Health Netherlands. It is based on interviews with thirteen professionals working in hospitals, long-term care and community settings.