A Subject Specialist Networks series
15, 22 and 29 April 2021, 15:00–17:00 (BST)

We were delighted to collaborate with two other professional networks on this series, the British Art Network, and the European Paintings pre-1900 network. Over three online sessions, we explored the topic of health, wellbeing and inclusivity in the context of arts and heritage collections with a range of arts and healthcare professionals.

All sessions were supported by live captioning and British Sign Language interpretation.

Download the series resource pack here (PDF): Further reading and refs for ‘Museum Collections on Prescription’ series

Nothing about us without us – disability, inclusivity and engagement. 15 April 2021, 15:00–17:00

Convened by Tony Heaton, Sculptor and Disability Activist

This session explores the intersection between collections, disability and wellbeing. Are disabled makers and visitors reflected in public collections and their programming? Do they have a voice at the table? Are sector professionals responsive to the wellbeing of disabled visitors? Tony Heaton speaks to museum professionals and artists in the first of three online sessions which consider the potential for museum/heritage collections to support and enhance visitor wellbeing.

Attendee downloads for this session (PDF):

Convenor and contributors’ bios for ‘Nothing about us without us’ session T Heaton 15 April 2021

Tony Heaton © Rachel Cherry

Tony Heaton © Rachel Cherry

Tony Heaton OBE is a practising Sculptor, Chair of Shape Arts and Consultant/Advisor to many major cultural organisations, including: The British Council, Tate and the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries. He is the initiator of NDACA – the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive. His sculpture, Gold Lamé, recently occupied The Liverpool Plinth and is currently installed at the Riverside Museum, Glasgow. His Monument to the Unintended Performer was installed on the Big 4 at the entrance to Channel 4 TV Centre in celebration of the 2012 Paralympics. His sculpture Squarinthecircle? is situated outside the school of architecture, Portsmouth University. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2013 for services to the arts and the disability arts movement and has an Alumni Award from Lancaster University and honorary Doctorates from both the University of Leicester and the new University Bucks. www.tonyheaton.co.uk.

Taking part in this session:

Watch this session here:

Please accept statistics, marketing cookies to enable this.

The curatorial and the cultural encounter in hospital contexts. 22 April 2021, 15:00–17:00

Convened by Catsou Roberts, Director of Vital Arts, Barts Health NHS Trust

This session explores art and wellbeing in hospital and NHS contexts. Catsou Roberts invites a panel of healthcare and arts specialists to talk about issues involved in delivering an ambitious art programme within clinical environments. Speakers will discuss the motivations for hospitals acquiring and displaying historic art collections as well as commissioning, curating and building collections of contemporary work. www.vitalarts.org.uk/

Attendee downloads for this session (PDF):

Convenor and contributors’ bios for ‘The curatorial and the cultural encounter in hospital contexts’ session C Roberts 22 April 2021

Cleveland Clinic sample newsletters from Iva Fattorini: 2014 Arts & Medicine Institute Newsletter; 2015 Arts and Medicine Institute Newsletter

Catsou Roberts © Laura Graydon

Catsou Roberts © Laura Graydon

Catsou Roberts is the Director of Vital Arts, the charitably funded arts organisation embedded within Barts Health NHS Trust. Previously, she was Senior Curator at Arnolfini from 1999-2004. Catsou serves in a range of advisory roles and has juried several public-realm design competitions, awards and art prizes. She is a long-standing elected member of the AICA and IKT. She studied Art History at Columbia University and the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and was a Helena Rubinstein Fellow in Museum Studies at the Whitney Independent Study Program.

Taking part in this session:

Watch this session here:

Please accept statistics, marketing cookies to enable this.

Arts and culture for health and wellbeing and inclusivity. 29 April 2021, 15:00–17:00

Convened by Dr Errol Francis, Artistic Director and CEO of Culture&

This session explores contemporary practice in using collections to engage marginalised communities to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in relation to health and wellbeing. Practitioners from a variety of perspectives and disciplines present their work and how they have used visual art, sometimes along with other art forms, to make collections serve a social purpose and be accessible to a wider audience.

Attendee downloads for this session (PDF):

Convenor and contributors’ bios for ‘Arts and culture for health and wellbeing and inclusivity’ session E Francis 29 April 2021

Errol Francis, England's Heritage I, 2004. Courtesy National Gallery, London

Errol Francis, England’s Heritage I, 2004. Courtesy National Gallery, London

Dr Errol Francis is Artistic Director and CEO of Culture&, as well as Content Producer for Culture Box, a project at University of Exeter promoting social interaction and public health through the arts for people living with dementia. Errol was previously Programme Lead at Arts Council England, Head of Arts at the Mental Health Foundation and Director of the Anxiety Arts Festival 2014 and the Cyborgs 2019 programme at the Wellcome Collection. Errol is content producer for Culture Box, a project at University of Exeter promoting social interaction and public health through the arts for people living with dementia. Errol studied Photography and Fine Art at Central Saint Martins. His research at Slade School of Fine Art focused on postcolonial artistic responses to museums.

Taking part in this session:

  • Dr Rob Berkeley MBE, Director, BlackOut UK
  • Miranda Lowe, Principal Curator, Natural History Museum
  • Bárbara Rodríguez Muñoz, Curator, Wellcome Collection
  • Professor Victoria Tischler, University of Exeter

Watch this session here:

Please accept statistics, marketing cookies to enable this.