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Arts in health professionals use a variety of approaches to support the wellbeing of healthcare patients and staff, in hospitals and also in long-term care facilities. This might include anything from listening to recordings to a live performance at a patient’s bedside, or  getting staff and families to sing and play along, and even improvising new music with patients and families. 

In hospitals
Music for health projects are enhancing the well-being of patients and staff in hospitals around the Netherlands. For instance, the Boedijn music school and Dijklander Hospital are collaborating on a multi-year partnership called Muziekmaatjes (Music Buddies), using live music to create moments of relaxation, escape, and joy, among pediatric patients and their parents. Another initiative specifically designed for children is "De Liedjesfabriek’" (The Song Factory), in which children write their own songs under the guidance of a music professional. Children from all over The Netherlands get to write and record their own song on the topic they choose and in the style of music they want. 

Music for health can even be found in hospital intensive care units. One example of this is the organisation MuzIC that works with interested hospitals throughout The Netherlands,  supporting the recovery of patients, which can minimize the health impacts of an ICU stay.  Also the organisation ‘Muziek aan bed’ (Music at the bedside) provides musical interventions on all hospital wards.

Outside the hospital
Music in health is also found in rehabilitation centers and hospices. For example,  the organization Muziek aan Bed brings live music to people living with dementia in nursing homes through its Muziek aan tafel (Music at the Table) program, where everyone sings along, conducts, or moves. Professional Arts in Health organizations such as Mimic and Embrace Nederland encourage music-making in institutions as well as in private homes. Embrace Nederland also works to build social cohesion in the social domain, for example, with its "Slagkracht" project. Both Embrace Nederland and Mimic provide workshops for healthcare professionals and informal caregivers, teaching them to incorporate music into their daily interactions with patients and families. 

What the science says
There is evidence that music contributes to recovery from illness, reducing pain, stress, anxiety, and depression. There are even indications that music can positively influence the immune system's responses.

In private homes, music in health professionals provide real support for people living with neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, or dementia.

Music appears to have positive effects on people with neurological disorders, activating the areas of the brain involved in thinking, feeling, movement, and emotion.

Research suggests that music can be a powerful tool to support the wellbeing of healthcare professionals and informal caregivers, by encouraging relaxation, building social connection, and helping staff to reflect on their work in new ways.

A study by Mimic suggests that music leads to stronger, positive contacts between patients and nurses, as well as an increase in compassion in nurses.

Professors Dick Swaab and Erik Scherder gave a lecture on Music and the Brain, which beautifully explains the positive health effects of music.

Organizations in the Netherlands in the field of Music in Health
There are many more organizations offering music in health services in hospitals, long-term care, and the social domain. Below is an overview: 

• Bedside Buskers
• Muziekids
• Zingen in de Zorg
• Hier is Muziek!
• Muziek voor de Zorg 
• Genetic choir
• REVA BEATS
• Stichting Muziek in Huis
• Zing mee in het Participatiekoor
• Bedside Singers – Zingen voor de ziel op reis) 
• MuzIC
• Mimic muziek
• ThuisMuziekZorg
• De Liedjesfabriek 
• Muziek Aan Bed

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Institutions Offering Art Programmes

The arts and culture are an ongoing part of programming for AxionContinu’s clients in the Utrecht area. In addition to an extensive music programme — including a choir and the popular “apple pie concerts” — residents can take part in numerous cultural  activities such as the Museum on Friday program. AxionContinu also collaborates with students from the Utrecht University of the Arts (HKU) on We Heart Society, in which music students and residents create new songs together.

Vitalis (Eindhoven region) also offers a rich arts programme. The theatre project Trotse kameraden (“Proud Companions”) brings together residents, young people and local neighbourhood members to create a performance. Furthermore, there is AtelierSkon, a working place where care home residents, neighbours and other interested people upcycle cast-off  materials to make beautiful arts and crafts.

In Amsterdam, Cordaan provides care for people with intellectual disabilities, and also for older adults living with dementia. Cordaan’s Art in Care program focuses on improving quality of life, for example with the ambulant kunstteam (mobile art team) in which visual artists, writers, dancers and others use creativity to engage with Cordaan clients in the community, for example by visiting a museum together or making an artwork. Cordaan’s Mulltimedia digitale kunst (Digital Multimedia Art) program brings artists and people with intellectual disabilities together, to practice  photography, filmmaking and graphic design. 

Organisations Offering Art Activities

Dance

Dans op Recept (Northern Netherlands and Limburg) provides classes and workshops in creative movement and dance for older adults and people with chronic conditions, often within residential care settings. Dans op Recept  also trains care professionals to  integrate dance into their work. The dance company Leefmeesters, a part of Dans op Recept, creates dance pieces for public performance, in which professional dancers collaborate with people living with chronic illnesses.

Meerdandans (North Holland) offers dance lessons for people with Parkinson’s disease and acquired brain injury. Requests from other regions are referred to teachers within their network.

Het Huiskamerdanspaleis (Living Room Dance Palace) organises dance ‘moments’ for adults with dementia in their own, warmly decorated, surrounding. Instructors are present to guide participants. The work of Het Huiskamerdanspaleis also includes a special program for fall prevention: Het Danspaleis Valpreventie.

Even when they do not aim to produce therapeutic outcomes, participatory arts programs can provide positive support for wellbeing. Marc Vlemmix Dance offers creative movement classes for people living with MS, rheumatism and Parkinson’s. Participants are prepared for creative movement by teachers who help people with chronic conditions to build strength, balance and flexibility. 

Switch2Move combines music and movement for people with Parkinson's disease, dementia, MS or other chronic illnesses. People can join the lessons in the regions of Amsterdam, Tilburg and Den Bosch. People who are not able to leave their homes can join the dance lessons through video recordings.

Theatre

Theatre Veder performs shows in care homes, especially for demented elderly people, and using the Veder Contactmethode. In their performances, artists use poetry, music and theater to engage the long term memory of participants. Staff at  Theatre Veder also train care professionals to use  the Veder Contactmethode to improve communication with clients.

Cliniclowns is the longest-running Arts in Health program in the Netherlands, with ongoing programs in nearly every hospital in the country. Cliniclowns’ highly trained professional performers use play and music to engage children and healthcare staff find a sense of fun even in tense care environments. Cliniclowns has also developed a successful program for adults living with dementia. 

Visual Arts & Museums

Many museums have special programs at the intersection of art, healthcare, and well-being, see for example the Museum van de Geest, Rijksmuseum and Mauritshuis. For more information, you can also contact the Museum Association.

There are also initiatives that older adults with health issues to experience visual art in a meaningful way, such as the MuseumPlusBus. The program brings traveling exhibitions of high-quality reproductions to care homes. The program also arranges  transport that brings elderly people to museums.

KOO (The Hague) uses multiple arts strategies  to engage   elderly people living with chronic illnesses. Kleurenparade  is a series of five workshops that introduce seniors to a variety of art forms. During the creative activities, participants are encouraged to discuss their experiences and inspirations. Kunstknuffel uses  creative activities to “encourage meaningful artistic experiences where memories can take shape.”  All activities are guided by specially trained instructors.

Amphion Cultuurbedrijf is part of the programme Long Live Art, which offers a wide range of activities for residents of care facilities in the Achterhoek region. Their Cultuur met zorg (Culture with Care) program places resident artists in care centers, leading  small-scale activities such as felting, dancing and photography, and theatre. 

What Does the Science Say?

In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) published an extensive review of research regarding the impact of  the arts on well-being. 30+ years of research on Arts in Health supports a compelling argument  that the arts support wellbeing.

A selection of the findings:

• Stroke rehabilitation: Dance improves muscle strength, posture and balance, and may stimulate memory and executive function.
• Parkinson’s disease and MS: Dance strengthens muscles and improves posture, mobility and quality of life.
• Psychogeriatrics: Drama activities improve contact between residents and care staff. Dance appeared to have a positive effect on speech. Literary activities can improve memory, listening skills and attention in people with dementia, and also reduce feelings of loneliness and social isolation.
• Palliative care: Art activities improve physical and psychological well-being and support conversations about illness and end-of-life.
• Anxiety and depression: Art can reduce feelings of anxiety and depressive symptoms related to illness, such as cancer.
  
  

Research programs in the Netherlands

The Dutch Ministries of Education, Culture & Science (OCW) and Health, Welfare & Sport (VWS) collaborate with Stichting RCOAK, Fonds Sluyterman Van Loo in the programme Arts and Culture in Long-Term Care and Support.  One of the goals is to map existing art initiatives in order to identify the success factors that contribute to an effective and sustainable offer. Amsterdam UMC and the Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing also joined forces in an Art in Health program to research the value of art in long-term care by describing existing art initiatives and evaluating their impact.

Understanding opportunities within existing policy and regulations

Arts in Health often starts in practice, but the decisions around it determine whether initiatives can continue to grow. Many projects show how art can contribute to health, wellbeing, and quality of life. At the same time, long-term integration remains difficult because funding, collaboration, and responsibilities are often fragmented.

The report Kunst in zorg – wegen naar verankering explores where existing laws and regulations offer opportunities to organise Arts in Health in a more sustainable way. From municipalities and health insurers to welfare organisations and long-term care, the report shows that there is often more possible than people expect. It also highlights where collaboration between healthcare, culture, and policy still runs into challenges in practice.

This report was carried out by VitaValley on behalf of Arts in Health Netherlands.

Five artists collaborated with UMCG staff on participatory, care-focused art projects

In 2025, an Arts in Health pilot took place at the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG). Five professional artists collaborated with staff from five different departments to develop participatory art projects aimed at supporting wellbeing in the workplace.

The pilot was initiated by Arts in Health Groningen (AiHG) in collaboration with UMCG and theatre company Peergroup.

Art in support of  care

In the growing field of Arts in Health, trained artists use creative methods to support the wellbeing of healthcare workers, patients, and to promote healthy living. Arts in Health does not replace care, but supports it.

This pilot focused on supporting the wellbeing of UMCG  staff. In response to the growing pressures on healthcare staff—high workload, burnout, and compassion fatigue—the projects created space for connection, inspiration, and rediscovering  meaning in work.

Five artists, five departments

Artists and departments were carefully recruited and matched. For five months, the artists became part of their UMCG departments: 

• Beatrix Children’s Hospital - Morgan Ton, multidisciplinary artist & filmmaker
• Communication & Marketing - Anne Varekamp, spatial designer & visual artist
• Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery - Emma Berentsen, performance-maker & dramaturg  
• Spiritual Care - Eva Koopmans, relational artist & designer‍
• Orthopedics - Wiesje Gunnink, artist & arts educator

Get to know the artists

Each of the UMCG departments got to know its artist by bringing them into the staff’s work and routines. As the artists got to know their departments, they introduced artistic activities that staff did on breaks, during quiet times in the work day, and even after hours. Staff reported that the creative activities helped get to know their colleagues beyond their professional roles, as people.  

Throughout the pilot, artists, programme makers, the coordinator and researchers met regularly in a learning community. These sessions provided space for reflection, exchange and mutual support. 

Evaluation of the pilot

Alongside the pilot, an evaluation was conducted to understand the experiences of participants, and what meaning the project had for staff in the context of work.

Adrenaline: an audiowalk through the UMCG

As the final outcome of the pilot, an immersive audiowalk through the UMCG was developed, in collaboration with theatre company Peergroup. Titled Adrenaline, the walk gives staff and the general public the opportunity to experience the pilot’s theme of, ‘see the human being’ first hand, while exploring the actual halls and rooms of the hospital.

Wearing headphones, visitors are individually guided through the UMCG and granted access to spaces normally unavailable to the public. The hospital itself acts as the narrator, sharing stories about the patients and staff, policymakers grappling with transitions and renovations, and healthcare professionals working under immense pressure.

Adrenaline invites visitors to experience the hospital from a different perspective and to reflect on the human aspect of care.

Adrenaline can be visited at the UMCG from February 25 to March 22, 2026.

Pilot Team

The pilot is led by programme makers Kirsten Krans & Dirk Bruinsma, researcher/trainer Ferdinand Lewis, pilot coordinator and researcher Nina van den Berg, and student assistant Twan Tromp.

Steering Committee

Strategic guidance and supervision are provided by the UMCG steering committee, chaired by Michiel Kahmann. Members: Barbara van Leeuwen, Hanneke van der Wal-Huisman, Jaap Tulleken, Bertrand de Jong, Edwina Doting, Joke Fleer, and Mark Dessing.

Pilot Partners

UMCG, University of Groningen, Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health, Peergroup, and Nationaal Programma Groningen.

A new view of the arts in health field in the Netherlands

An inventory of 220 recent or ongoing arts in health initiatives has been created, providing a first snapshot of the field. The inventory documents where projects happened, who they reached, and how they worked, across a range of settings. The inventory provides a  framework for building a nationwide database of arts in health projects, and to forge important alliances across sectors.

Many more projects exist than were included in this report. The relatively strong representation of North Brabant largely reflects the fact that the inventory was conducted by Kunstloc Brabant, where an extensive regional network was already in place.

The field is bigger than you may think

Arts in health initiatives are everywhere. In community settings, long-term care, and hospitals, but also in places you might not expect: schools, libraries, museums, primary care, hospices, mental health facilities, and refugee centres. The projects engage people of all ages, including adults, older people, young people, and children, and they work with informal  caregivers and healthcare professionals.

There isn’t just one art form

Arts in health is a very diverse field. Although visual arts and music projects appear most often in the inventory, it also includes theatre, photography, dance, social design, graphic design, literature, textiles, film, new media, and technology. A clown on a children's ward, a poet working with nursing home staff, or people making a quilt together: these are all examples of arts in health.

It’s almost always collaborative

One of  the most striking findings is that successful initiatives often involve collaborations between different sorts of partners. Artists working alongside healthcare organisations, community organisations, and cultural institutions, in a diverse but  balanced mix. Only a handful of initiatives reported having no collaborative partners.

This  suggests how arts in health really works in collaboration across sectors, in networks where the arts, healthcare, and community wellbeing come together. These are people from different backgrounds, finding new ways to support wellbeing, together.

Beneath the numbers lies something fragile

The inventory also tells another story. Beneath all these initiatives is the reality that many arts in health programs that want to be permanent  are dependent upon temporary funding sources.

Most of the initiatives surveyed relied on funding lasting for about a year. This means that grants expire and must be reapplied for, again and again. Only 37 initiatives reported being funded securely for more than three years. The other initiatives move from one funding to the next. It is a cycle of short-term funding: plenty of activity, but little solid ground from which to  offer permanent programming.

There is one particularly interesting pattern: initiatives with a cultural coordinator on staff are more likely to have long-term funding. In other words, having someone whose role is to connect the arts and healthcare appears to go hand in hand with practices that last.

Find out more

The inventory does not evaluate  program quality or impacts, since the scientific literature and professional reports have already established that arts in health is a viable field in the Netherlands. Rather, the survey documents how people from diverse sectors are working together  to expand and sustain the practice of arts in health in the Netherlands.

Curious to explore the findings? Download the first national inventory by Arts in Health Netherlands to discover where arts in health is happening across the Netherlands, how the field is organised, and what opportunities lie ahead.

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.

What policy needs to do

Arts in Health sits at the intersection of healthcare, culture, and social welfare. But its place in policy is still emerging. What is needed is for healthcare and welfare systems to recognise the role the arts can play in making care more human. Key questions include:

• How can successful programmes continue beyond the pilot phase?
• How can the role of the arts be secured within the current transformation of healthcare?
• How can barriers to collaboration between healthcare, culture, and social welfare be removed, at both local and national levels?
• How can Arts in Health contribute to the challenges facing healthcare today?

What is already happening

In the Netherlands, ZonMw, the Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie, and programmes like Welzijn op Recept, are working to develop Arts in Health further. The municipality of Tilburg actively supports collaboration between artists and care organisations. Provincial arts organisations are exploring how Arts in Health can contribute to health and prevention at a regional level. And at European level, the EU Commission recognises Arts in Health as part of the future of healthcare.

For policymakers and partners

Do you work on policy in healthcare, culture, or welfare? You can contribute by making connections and creating space for collaboration. Arts in Health does not need a new system. It needs a place within the system as it evolves.

Read more and get involved

• Books about Arts in Health
• Academic magazines
• Rapport: next steps for the Arts in Health Network

Want to contribute to the development of Arts in Health in the Netherlands? The alliance is coming. Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed.

The Arts in Health Summer School introduces students to how creative practices can support wellbeing and encourage healthy living. The week-long school offers lecture-discussions and workshops introducing the theory and practice of Arts in Health, and hands-on workshops in the methods and strategies of professional Arts in Health practice. 

“The Summer School brings together a diverse group of people, to build a common understanding of how arts is health works,” says Ferdinand Lewis, director of education for Arts in Health Groningen (AiHG). “They leave the School as a community of learners, ready to explore how they might want to contribute to the field.”

The Summer School is designed for people at different points in their careers, and is open to mid-career graduates of MBO, HBO, and universities, as well as current students. “Establishing a permanent place for the arts in our healthcare system will require professionals who can work across sectors, disciplines and traditional roles,” Lewis adds. 

The Summer School introduces students to the scientific research on how the arts can support prevention and recovery, and encourage healthy lifestyles. The curriculum includes an innovative pedagogy that integrates theory with the direct experience of practice, in a workshop setting. “Students are immersed in the practice of arts in health right away,” Lewis explains, “while they are also learning the science and theory that explains the field. They follow up on those experiences with structured reflection, to integrate experiences into new knowledge”. 

One 2025 graduate reported, “For me it was about getting to know what is out there in the field.”  Another said that the Summer School helped her decide how she wants to work in the field and organise her own programmes. 

Summer School instructors include Arts in Health professionals from Switch2Move, Cordaan, CliniClowns, the creative arts therapies program at NHL Stenden, MuzIC, and the Groninger Museum. Lecture-discussions are led by scholars from University Medical Centre Groningen, together with the master’s of spiritual care program at the University of Groningen, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Those who complete the School can receive an official ‘digital credential’ from the University of Groningen to use on CV’s. Graduates also have the opportunity to join the Arts in Health Learning Community which is especially for former Summer School graduates. The Learning Community meets four times per year  to share knowledge, discuss current issues, and build a network across the Netherlands and EU.

Development of the Summer School

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The Summer School was first piloted in June of 2023. AiHG’s program director Kirsten Krans said, “We made 15 spaces available for students, and all of them were filled right away. So many people want to learn how the arts can support care in hospitals, long-term care, and in our communities!” In 2024, the Summer School was awarded support from the University of Groningen, and officially listed in the University’s portfolio of summer school courses. 

Enrollment is capped at 25 students, for which the Summer School regularly receives more than twice that number of applications. Students include visual and performing artists, doctors, nurses, social workers, university research and teaching staff, cultural managers and program makers, undergraduates students, administrators, and policy makers. Lewis says, “In the Netherlands and EU, the Arts in Health field needs people from a variety of backgrounds, all learning and working together. The Summer School was created to facilitate that”.    

The Summer School’s organisational partners include the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health; University College Groningen; the Faculty of Religion, Culture & Society at the University of Groningen; and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. 

Learn more about the Arts in Health Summer School and how to apply.