Art and Well-being

The research- and development project Art and Well-being aimed to create aesthetically appealing public health care environments that can give rise to positive thinking and discussions. To this end, art and holistic interior design were used. The project was carried out in cooperation between Novia University of Applied Sciences, various public health care institutions in Finland and professional artists and designers. The focus has been on aesthetics and art that create care environments stimulating positive thoughts for staff, patients and relatives. Further the project sought to make the role of cultural worker visible in such projects and to create understanding between care and arts fields. An additional goal was to provide art students with experience of seeing art in a broad context. This project report describes the realization of three different health care environments where art and design have had a central role.