PaRx | A Prescription for Nature—and Art

The Vancouver Art Gallery is proud to launch a groundbreaking new collaboration with BC Parks Foundation that recognizes the healing power of art and nature in supporting patients’ mental health and psychological wellbeing.

Now, healthcare professionals can prescribe their patients a visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery through BC Parks Foundation’s PaRx program—Canada’s national, evidence-based nature prescription program. Since its founding in 2020, PaRx has facilitated more than one million connections with nature through over 17,000 healthcare providers.

Building on PaRx’s success, the Gallery will offer free admission to each prescribed visitor and their optional guest, thereby fostering social connections while removing financial barriers. Patients will be directed to the exhibition Emily Carr: Navigating an Impenetrable Landscape, currently on view from the Gallery’s significant Emily Carr collection. Upon arrival, a special printed guide is available, encouraging visitors to slow look and continue their experience by heading to a local nature space following their Gallery visit. Prescribed visitors may return any number of times during the length of the project by retaining their original prescription.

“The Vancouver Art Gallery is honoured to collaborate in this visionary program, which represents a major step towards growing a culture of care in our community. We look forward to bringing the restorative power of nature indoors, creating a welcoming and safe space for healing, reflection and connection at the Gallery. To the best of our knowledge, this marks the first collaboration of its kind between a nature prescription program and an arts institution anywhere in the world. It could not be more apt that it originates in British Columbia and centres around one of the province’s most celebrated artistic figures—Emily Carr.”

—Sirish Rao, Interim Co-CEO at the Vancouver Art Gallery

This innovative partnership extends PaRx prescription to include an indoor art and nature experience, offering the restorative power of art as part of a holistic approach to supporting the long-term health of British Columbians, including those who have challenges accessing outdoor green spaces. The option to prescribe a visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery is an exciting addition to the extensive list of options already available to healthcare professionals, including sites like the UBC Botanical Gardens and the Bloedel Conservatory and sustainable transportation options like Evo Car Share to make it easier to get there.

“A significant body of knowledge shows that access to nature experiences, both indoors and outdoors, can improve health conditions ranging from depression and anxiety to high blood pressure and chronic pain—and the growing evidence behind the health benefits of art is similarly impressive. Museums and galleries have a wealth of potential to become healing places where people can simultaneously experience the health benefits of nature and art through social prescribing. Combining social connection, creativity and natural landscapes in one space is a uniquely powerful way to improve people’s mental and physical health. I can’t wait to start prescribing visits to the Vancouver Art Gallery.”

—Dr. Melissa Lem, family physician and Director of PaRx

The Gallery anticipates approximately 4,000 individuals to benefit from the social prescribing initiative during its pilot year.

There is evidence that supports spending time in museums and galleries can reduce stress and cortisol levels; the Gallery experience—designed by Sirish Rao, the Gallery’s Interim Co-CEO, and Paula Toledo, Lead Wellbeing Consultant—not only encourages slow looking and mindfulness but also deepens a local viewer’s connection to their land, language, place and community. Visitors are then encouraged to step outside and spend time exploring local parks or getting involved in protecting nature.

“My work surrounding the science of how art can promote wellbeing, along with my own transformative experience of receiving an art prescription, drive my passion and support for the PaRx collaboration. This initiative combines the strengths of both art and nature, which are vital for fostering connections. Research shows that interactions with art and nature can evoke feelings of awe and inspire wonder. In these moments, where people feel interconnected with something larger than themselves, they can often feel a greater inclination towards community involvement and pro-social actions. Due to rising rates of loneliness and social isolation, this collaborative prescription program has the potential to address these public health concerns, providing Vancouver residents with valuable opportunities to nurture social connections that can greatly improve their health and wellbeing.”

—Paula Toledo, Mental Health Advisor and Lead Wellbeing Consultant at the Vancouver Art Gallery

We look forward to welcoming PaRx patients and their guests to the Gallery!