Healing Arts Scotland is part of the global Healing Arts campaign created by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). Healing Arts Scotland is a joint partnership between Scottish Ballet and the Jameel Arts and Health Lab.
Check out Scottish Ballet's film made with NHS staff, dancers and Scottish Ballet Health at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, to celebrate the launch of Healing Arts Scotland. Music: Mackay's Memoirs by Martin Bennett, with kind permission from Kirsten Bennett.
Whether it’s dance classes, choir rehearsals, creative writing workshops or pot throwing, every day in Scotland, fantastic events take place all across the country that help improve people’s wellbeing. Healing Arts Scotland is a week-long celebration of these events, highlighting the joy they bring to those who take part, and their importance to the nation’s physical, mental and social health. This will be the first ever countrywide Healing Arts Week, following previous city-wide celebrations around the world, including New York, Paris, London, Venice and Jaipur.
Some key events taking place include an outdoor large-scale Opening Celebration performance at the Scottish Parliament as part of Edinburgh International Festival, two days of speakers and panel discussions on the impact of healing arts activity, a Wellbeing Concert in Glasgow and a series of special events in Aberdeen, Orkney and Lewis. Everyone across Scotland is welcome to register an event they would like to be included here on the Healing Arts Scotland website. Getting involved will help highlight how many brilliant events take place across Scotland, encouraging more people to take part, and highlight their importance.
“The Edinburgh International Festival is proud to be part of the first ever nationwide Healing Arts campaign in Scotland. This is an important dialogue to help address health inequalities across the country and we look forward to facilitating those conversations throughout August.”
"Many cities around the world have taken part in our series of Healing Arts activations, but I am excited to see Scotland taking a truly national approach. Scotland’s unique sense of community, its embrace of all art forms, and its commitment to health for all promise to be an exciting combination. I can’t wait to participate and see what the communities come up with."
"Healing Arts Scotland 2024 will be an inspirational week-long celebration of the huge impact the arts has on the nation’s health and well-being. Scottish Ballet is proud to be leading on this global outreach project in collaboration with the WHO and a host of partner organisations throughout Scotland."
Scottish Ballet, founded in 1969, is Scotland’s national dance company. Based in Glasgow, the company performs regularly across Scotland, throughout the UK and internationally – promoting Scotland’s pioneering spirit far and wide. Scottish Ballet is a National Centre for Dance Health delivering specialised programmes for those living with dementia, Parkinson’s, MS and Long Covid. Under CEO/Artistic Director Christopher Hampson, Scottish Ballet presents bold, adventurous performances rooted in strong classical technique, accompanied by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. The company’s broad repertoire includes new versions of the classics and ground-breaking commissions, both on stage and screen. It is funded by the Scottish Government.
The Jameel Arts & Health Lab is a global initiative to measurably improve health and wellbeing through the arts. With a focus on overlooked and underserved communities, the Lab leverages scientific evidence, artist-led advocacy, and capacity building to drive the integration of the arts into mainstream healthcare. The Jameel Arts & Health Lab was launched in January 2023 by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, the Steinhardt School at New York University, Community Jameel, and Culturunners. Established to measurably improve health and wellbeing through the arts, it is the first major initiative of its kind to be supported by WHO.
