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Learning from other countries: A glimpse

To gain insight into how arts in health can support the healthcare transition in the Netherlands, it can be useful to see how similar initiatives have been proposed, and implemented in other countries.  All the countries discussed here recognise that transformation is needed in healthcare systems. They all argue for the support that the arts can offer.

Arts in health in the United Kingdom

The modern field of arts in health had its start more or less in the United Kingdom in the 1960’s. Initially driven by countercultural social movements, it took some time to gain a place in mainstream institutions and policy. It is only in the last couple of decades that the field really blossomed.

A number of important projects were developed in the UK between 2004 and 2007. For example, a project called Invest to Save; Arts in Health had the goal to “develop the capacity of the North West Region’s arts and health communities, and research the impact of creativity, culture and the arts on health and economic outcomes” (Parkinson, 2009, p.43). Amongst other things, this project involved visual arts and creative writing activities for older people in rehabilitation.

Around the same time, the Arts Council England and the Department of Health published a report on the prospectus of arts and health. Although this report did not initially receive a great deal of notice, over time the cultural change it recognised began to emerge.

The Arts Council has continued its work on Creative Health and Wellbeing. The National Centre for Creative Health has further supported the development of policies and research. In recent years the London Arts in Health movement has found some success hosting an annual Creativity and Wellbeing Week,  which has seen tens of thousands of active participants. This celebration of the field includes talks, film screenings and workshops. Because that event is attended by people with a variety of backgrounds, it also encourages the intersectoral collaboration that is integral to arts in health programmes.

The arts in health field has seen some developments in other regions of the UK. The Arts Council of Wales, for example, has partnered with the Welsh NHS confederation to raise awareness of the how the arts support wellbeing. The partnership set out to “embed arts and health initiatives across the NHS in Wales”. 

Arts in Health and the WHO

In 2019 the WHO commissioned a report in which they scoped over 3500 articles about the role of the arts in supporting health and wellbeing. Since then, the WHO has begun issuing policy materials and strategies for the use of  arts in health for use by the member states. Importantly, these emphasise intersectoral decision-making and planning, for example between the cultural and culture sectors. 

In 2023, the WHO launched the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, to encourage research and disseminate findings on arts in health. The Lab also organises events that celebrate, and advocate for, the introduction of national and regional arts in health initiatives around the world. 

Arts in Health and the European Commission

A report by European Commission recognises the societal value of the arts and culture for wellbeing. Policy recommendations and briefs have been issued which argue for the positive impact of the arts on wellbeing, recommending that member states implement policies to promote “long-term collaboration and mutual learning partnerships between cultural practitioners, healthcare professionals, and community organisations”. The Commission-funded organisation Culture for Health commissions research and publishes reports on culture for health, including strategic recommendations for facilitating intersectoral dialogue and action. 

Arts in Health in other European countries

Other countries in Europe are introducing arts in health plans and programmes.  The arts in health field has gained a strong foothold in Ireland, for instance: The Irish ‘Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan’ for 2021-2025 includes a commitment for local authorities to plan long-term cultural and arts involvement in promoting wellbeing.

As early as 2004, the Irish Arts Council wrote a practical handbook for setting up projects and networking for arts in health, and that handbook is still useful today. It outlines a step by step approach to developing an arts in health project, from initial ideas to project implementation.

Other EU countries working on arts and health projects and policy include Bulgaria, France, Luxembourg and Portugal. Scandinavian countries are particularly active in integrating arts in health into social systems. Finland, for instance, has a “coordinated national effort to publish local cultural wellbeing plans” and a Masters degree is offered in Creativity and Arts in Social and Health Fields. Denmark and Sweden are part of a pilot by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region, to experiment with ‘arts on prescription’, and the Nordic School of Arts and Health also runs many projects. 

Arts in Health in Australia and New Zealand

New Zealand’s national network for creative wellbeing, ‘Te Ora Auaha’ (Creative Wellbeing Alliance), was established in 2019 to help ensure access to arts and culture. New Zealand is also investigating arts on prescription as a way to support arts in health. Australia’s ministries of health and culture have since 2014 committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all Australians by formally recognising the role of the arts in supporting wellbeing. They have an active Arts and Health Network too, with regular meetings and several events. 

Arts in Health in Canada and the United States

Canada and the United States have active arts in health programmes and are creating national support networks, along with efforts to focus research and policy for the field.

Canada, like other countries including the UK and Finland, for example, is home to an arts in health-focused research group and offers degree programmes. Efforts to integrate research-based arts in health strategies into public policy are underway in the United States. Organisations like the National Endowment for the Arts and Americans for the Arts are now actively supporting arts in health projects. Several national projects are currently running, however funding for projects is usually not structural.

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This brief introduction to arts in health in other countries is not exhaustive, but merely offers a glimpse into some of the strategies, structures, and experiences in other countries, in the hope that they will be of use to Dutch arts in health advocates. Overall, support for arts in health is increasing in many countries and major institutions. 

For arts and health movements to become sustainable anywhere, local and national governments must systematically collaborate across sectors and with arts and health professionals.

The level at which strategies and projects are integrated into institutions varies widely. Furthermore, the structural funding for arts in health is not correlated with the wealth of particular countries: While the Greek ministries of Culture and Sports, and of Health, have both signed a memorandum which includes plans for intersectoral collaboration and the implementation of arts in health policies, the United States and Canada struggle to implement national, intersectoral, structural funding for arts in health.

Nor does a long tradition of arts in health funding guarantee ongoing structural support. Although the modern arts in health field largely developed in the UK, changes to healthcare funding in recent years has seriously impacted the field there.

In her thesis, Emma Schönborn studied how the youth creativity programme Digital Art Factory (DAF), uses creativity to support the wellbeing of teenagers at three locations in Assen, Gieten, and Appingedam. Launched in 2016, today DAF is a successful and highly valued programme in its communities. 

Modeling the programme

DAF’s early success was due to inspiration, intense creativity, and the hard work of its staff. It was not, however, guided by a clearly defined programme model. “The program had always operated intuitively, but without a clear structure,” Schönborn explains. “So it was difficult for them to evaluate or replicate the program,” she explains. In 2024, DAF’s directors wanted to prepare a strategy for the organisation’s future, and they turned to Schönborn to investigate the program’s workings. 

Schönborn used methods from the ‘research-based programme evaluation’ field to interview staff, review programme documents, and observe the instructors (called “coaches”) at work. In her fieldwork she found that inspiration, creativity, and collaboration were at the heart of the program: “The instructors prioritise collaboration between the participants, and autonomy, over traditional instruction,” she explains, adding that participants “can engage with others and explore their mutual interests without fear of judgment”. Each participant sets their own learning goals and works at their own pace, pushing their imagination as far as they can. 

Using the data, Schönborn developed a detailed ‘logic model’ of the programme that articulated how DAF’s inputs —skilled coaches, creative equipment, and partnerships— and its creative process, lead to enhanced social skills and emotional well-being for young people. She existing social scientific literature on mental health and creativity to inform the study. “The DAF program model is particularly effective at fostering creativity, and it also provides a foundation for social and emotional development in its participants,” she asserts. 

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A case study for organisations

The study, titled, Modeling a Youth Creativity and Engagement Programme for Mental Health: A Case Study of the Digital Art Factory was part of Schönborn’s 2024 thesis for University College Groningen. She hopes that the research and the programme modeling method will not only help DAF, but also other small arts-based community organisations that need to develop an evaluation strategy, or make plans for extending or expanding a programme. 

“With a programme like this, it’s all about the creative process,” she says, concluding, “That encourages young people to find a sense of control, feel less isolation, and make social connections.”

It is very important that research on arts in health is studied by scholars in other fields. Arts in health research is found in journals of medicine, social work, nursing, fine arts, community development, and others. Alongside that, we have our own interdisciplinary research identity, for example in two international, peer-reviewed journals publish specificallyl devoted to arts in health. 

Arts & Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice

This peer-reviewed journal publishes international research from the arts in health field, including clinical studies on the health benefits of the arts as well as best practices, policy analysis, and investigations of institutional issues. The journal pays special attention to the transformative role that the arts can play in public health, community care, and clinical settings. The editorial board targets a diverse audience of international researchers, policy makers, artists, healthcare professionals, and community workers. Read here.

‍The Journal of Applied Arts & Health 

Although this journal is supported by the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association, they use the term ‘arts & health’ very broadly to include therapeutic practice as well as non-therapeutic participatory arts, artistic research, and a range of other wellbeing-related arts studies. First published in 2010, this peer-reviewed journal publishes evaluations of programmes, as well as interdisciplinary issues, policy, and editorials. Read the journal here.

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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Willemijn van de Walle | Korrewegwijk

On community: “The group in Korrewegwijk reflects the city: diverse, multilingual and constantly changing. Participants vary in age and background, and bring different relationships to reading and language. Differences are present and openly discussed. Questions raised by the literature — such as where someone really comes from — often open up conversations in which multiple viewpoints exist alongside one another.”

On safe space: “Among the participants there  is a willingness to go beyond the surface. When one member speaks openly, others follow. Through small, attentive gestures — sharing tea, listening without interruption — a safe space develops where personal stories can be told.”

On connection: “Meeting on Tuesday evenings, the group is a place for people to  pause together. People come looking for calm and connection. Together, we use literature and poetry to help focus our attention, and to support moments of genuine encounter.”

Gemma Jissink | Noordlaren

On common interests: “Noordlaren has many overlapping networks. Buur & Boek has added another one: a group of people who connect  through their common interest in stories and poems, and their curiosity and willingness to explore together.”

On engagement: “Many of the participants already know one another, but reading and discussing stories and poems  creates a new kind of closeness.  This closeness is valuable, and at the same time the atmosphere must also remain open and light. People feel involved in the practical aspects of the project, and also in the content, so they stay engaged.”

On shared experience: “In this group, literature is a shared experience for us. Stories and personal reflections continue to emerge and surprise all of us—including me, as the facilitator.”

Lieke van den Krommenacker | Beijum – Feerwerd

On everyday life: “We have a small group of very committed readers who meet regularly. Ages range from early thirties to late seventies. Short stories and poetry provided the starting point for this group, but our conversations now move easily between discussing literature and everyday life.”

On sharing: “Over time, our relationships have deepened. Participants begin to share more of themselves, they exchange books, they offer reading suggestions to each other. Some of our members have started writing, which they share with the group.” 

On care: “After a few meetings, you can see a sense of care emerging in the group. Through shared attention and working together, the group has developed a kind of togetherness, and it becomes more meaningful the more we read and reflect together.”.

Charlotte Beerda | Finsterwolde

On knowing each other: “Many of the participants in the Finsterwolde group have known each other for years. The group is warm, and also has a certain reserve. Personal sharing unfolds slowly, and humour is important in this group, and laughter is common.” 

On vulnerability: “Vulnerability is not something we aim for in the group, but rather the point is being together and sharing. Trust  is more felt than spoken in the group, it is in the atmosphere, and in all the ways they are patient, attentive and appreciative of each other.”

On the unexpected: “Unexpected moments arise: someone shares a poem, or two married people discover they have both started writing, but without the other realising it. These wonderful moments are met with caring and gradually more space opens for writing and sharing, guided by the rhythm of the group.”

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Wiesje Gunnink, visual artist | Orthopedics department 

“At first, the hospital felt like an overwhelming maze. I began by observing, getting to know staff, and finding moments for art breaks. Some weren’t keen to make art yet I soon felt welcome, especially among the doctors, whose openness encouraged collaboration. Working with healthcare staff felt like finding a missing puzzle piece, connecting my artistic practice with my background in a family of care workers. I translated my experiences into poems and visual works, discovering parallels between art and care, such as precision, repetition, and dedication. Together we created by drawing lines without looking, pulling threads, cutting, gluing, and reflecting on how the past, present, and future meet in care”

Emma Berentsen, performance artist | Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary surgery department

“At the start of the project, I shadowed different people from the HPB department, from observing liver transplants to joining nurses in their patient meetings. I quickly learned how flexible everyone had to be with their time and decided to claim ten minutes in the weekly team meetings for my own artistic moments, which I called Emma’s Dilemmas. Finding time and space for art wasn’t always easy, and in the beginning, I sometimes felt unnecessary among people with “real” jobs. But as I grew closer to the team, I felt more at ease. Watching a liver transplantation struck me as an artwork in itself, the precision, rhythm, and silent collaboration between surgeons almost felt like a choreography. Seeing everyone create blackout poems together was one of the highlights of the project. In those moments, I noticed small signs of connection and vulnerability as people revealed something of themselves beyond their professional roles.”

Eva Koopmans, relational artist and designer | Spiritual Care department 

“Chaplains occupy a unique position in the hospital: one of great freedom and of deep attentiveness to the humanity of each patient. Initially, I had expected to accompany them during patient visits, but for privacy reasons that wasn’t possible. This felt limiting at first but then became a source of inspiration. I realized that their work often goes unnoticed within the hospital structure, they are literally and figuratively invisible. Once, I even went on a small quest through the hospital to find their workspace, only to discover that few people knew where it was. That invisibility became central to the project: how could we make their work visible and tangible? We are now creating an artistic representation of the safe space they build with patients—a space where everything can be said and nothing has to be solved. I’ve come to feel at home within the hospital, part of a team whose quiet presence spreads like ink in water” 

Morgan Ton, visual artist and filmmaker | Beatrix Children’s Hospital 

“I began by shadowing nurses, physicians, and palliative care professionals to understand their workload, rhythms, and perspectives on care. This helped me shape an arts-based project that would not interfere with their routines and could unfold through their own initiative. My aim was to bring a sense of playfulness and enjoyment into their busy workday. What truly struck me was how strict many staff members were about their own creativity. So in the first activity, I invited them to draw themselves, or a colleague, as a child might: using bright colours and imagination, creating space for art that did not need to be ‘perfect’. The drawings that emerged were surprising and full of play. This activity also sparked curiosity about how patients perceive their caregivers. That led to a second assignment in which staff asked patients to draw them. I was often present during these drawing moments, and it was moving to see how such a simple request created moments of connection, distraction, and joy. It encouraged caregivers to sit with patients without a medical reason, and to experience a shift in roles by becoming the ones observed.”

Anne Varekamp, designer and visual artist | Marketing and Communication Department 

“In the communications department, I’ve been exploring how creativity can ease work pressure without disrupting daily routines. We found that short, pre-planned creative sessions worked best. At first, many employees were hesitant, saying things like “I can’t do this,” but by the end of the sessions, their attitudes often shifted completely. These workshops became moments of connection, and word soon spread that they were fun, relaxing, and a great way to meet colleagues from other teams within the same department. Often staff felt too busy or didn’t see the value at first, but over time, curiosity drew more people in. The process took patience as I was keen on letting it happen organically. For me, the conversations during the workshops were the most powerful aspect. People felt safe enough to open up, not only about work, but also about personal things. And for me as an artist, it was deeply rewarding to see participants surprise themselves with their own creativity.”