Creative health is a hot topic right now, as the NHS 10-year plan shifts to focus on preventative and community care, and arts funders explicitly support art activity that seeks to improve people’s health. Bethlem Gallery is a grassroots arts organisation based at Bethlem Royal Hospital with nearly 30 years of experience working in a mental health context. As a creative health organisation we often get asked – and reflect internally – about how we work, how we support artists and ourselves.

In this symposium we aim to share practice from across the sector with a view to potentially developing a network focusing specifically on art and mental health from organisational perspectives.

Join us for this day of insights, case studies, learning and support.

Topics covered could include:

· How best to support ourselves and the people we work with

· The ethics of agency – how to frame and interpret art and art activity in a health context

· How to make the invisible (care!) visible and well resourced

· Therapy or therapeutic? How to work well in non clinical spaces

· Equity – how is this embedded across work and partnerships?

· Evaluation of impact and how to fund this work

We’ve consulted on what people will find useful and are currently in the process of confirming the programme.

Please sign up for the day here or at Eventbrite – the schedule will be updated in mid April once sessions are confirmed.