Art Improves Wellbeing—Your Support Makes It Possible.
For as long as we can remember, human beings have turned to nature and to art for solace and comfort. A walk in a quiet forest, the embrace of a well-loved song, the presence of a powerful painting—we know these to be things that heal us, that connect us to something larger than ourselves.
Yet, while these healing powers are widely recognized, formal programs connecting art to those who need it most remain limited. Over the past two years we have been expanding our commitment to societal wellbeing, launching a series of pilot programs designed to make arts experiences accessible to individuals who stand to benefit the most.
We call this the Art of Wellbeing lab.
Earlier this week, on World Health Day, we were delighted to announce the Art of Wellbeing lab’s newest initiative. The Vancouver Art Gallery is now part of a groundbreaking collaboration with BC Parks Foundation’s PaRx program—Canada’s national nature prescription program overseen by Dr. Melissa Lem, a family physician and internationally recognized leader in the field of nature and health.
Today, doctors and other healthcare professionals registered with PaRx can prescribe their patients a visit to the exhibition Emily Carr: Navigating an Impenetrable Landscape at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The Gallery will honour those prescriptions, offering a free visit to the person prescribed and a guest. This model recognizes the impressive body of evidence showing the benefits of time spent in nature, as well as with art, and emphasizes that social prescription is a major step towards growing a culture of care.
Adding a Vancouver Art Gallery prescription to the PaRx roster of patient benefits acknowledges research that seeing restorative images of nature has the potential to provide psychological relief and improve mood and cognitive recovery (Berman et al, 2008).
Art Improves Wellbeing—Your Support Makes It Possible.
The work at the Art of Wellbeing lab at the Vancouver Art Gallery is ongoing, and we are busy developing more initiatives. These programs will integrate insights from researchers, scientists, artists, physicians and Indigenous Elders and healers to create a sustainable model for arts-based wellbeing.
We envision the Gallery as a safe and welcoming space where individuals of all ages and backgrounds can engage with art as a pathway to better health. An ongoing pilot program is our Art At Any Age initiative, which fosters healthy aging through communal artmaking and movement-based activities, offering vital opportunities for connection, self-expression and healing.
We Need Your Help.
Your support of the Art of Wellbeing lab is essential in making these programs accessible to everyone in our community.
By contributing today, you can help us sustain and grow initiatives like social prescribing and Art At Any Age, ensuring that more individuals can experience the healing power of art.
Together, we can transform lives through the power of art.
Warm regards,
Sirish Rao
Interim Co-CEO