Mapping of Initiatives on Culture, Health and Well-being

Chromosome Surprise association organizes every year the meetings S'Handifférence arts. The event is built around artistic and musical workshops for children and adults with Down's syndrome. Through innovative and adapted methods, this association wishes to offer them the personal blooming which will allow them to open the doors of an ordinary social life.

This project started with the exhibition "L'eau dessinée" of the François Schneider Foundation, in the frame of BD2020. With the Foundation's team, the idea of creating an original illustration scenario was born. Stéphane Piatzszek, author and scriptwriter, has committed himself to this project, proposing a constructive alternative, both individual and collective. During 10 sessions from January to March 2020, 20 adults in psychiatric care from Rouffach Hospital Center have been engaged in the creation of a scenario illustrated by comic strips. In September 2020, a public exhibition on the theme of ocean pollution was opened with the artistic results of the patients. Stéphane Piatzszek's intention is to adapt the strength of this writing method to comics for an audience of non-professionals, in order to offer them something to highlight their aspirations, their dreams, their desires or their worries. The elaboration of a comic book scenario is anchored around the construction of a central character, with a strong identity and identifiable character traits. Each participant has created his or her own; each unique character will live an adventure and evolve according to what happens to him, the situations and encounters he will experience. The first difficulty lies in the writing of the comic strip; few words to express a lot or the art of ellipse. The second was to succeed in the illustrations, interpreting the story, with the constraint of only one idea per scene, in short, to propose a sequential narration in images. In the end the artists succeeded to overcome the challenge of this complex stylistic exercise.

Hidden Anger/ ColèreS planquée is the anagram for the French term for multiple sclerosis (MS). The artist having the disease, but feeling good, have asked women that she knew to interpret her personal representations and fears of MS and its degenerative factors. Considered incurable, multiple sclerosis affects over 300,000 people in Europe. The exhibion was hosted by the Lille Hospital, as part of their rich Cultural Agenda in the healthcare unit.

Vénus Project is an artistic action created by Centres d’Art Spacejunk to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer. The artistic expression allows to approach the subject outside the medical sphere, in a sensitive and non-normative way, by calling upon the subjectivity and the cultural universe of each participant. The relationship with the body that the artistic mediation establishes arouses a reflection and favors enlightened choices concerning the health of women. There are 4 directions in which the project is active: (1) Photoshooting: this takes place in the springtime. Women volunteer to pose bare-chested in front of the camera. The photographs are then printed on canvas and serve as a support for the artistic creations of the artists and women who participate in the workshops; (2) Workshops: The objective of the workshops is to get around the taboos surrounding health and breast cancer screening, and to offer time for collective exchanges with the presence of health professionals. These workshops are set up in Isère, in the Rhône and since 2021 in the Drôme, with social and associative partners; (3) Exhibitions: they bring together the works made by participants and artists during the workshops, in order to raise awareness about breast cancer prevention. The diversity of the works exhibited is an invitation for each spectator to nourish his or her reflection on health; (4) Like a firework, a charity sale of the Venus works closes each edition. This event takes place at the end of the year. The profits are given to associations to give a financial boost to women suffering from breast cancer. The Venus project exists in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in the Rhône since 2009, and in the Isère since 2016.

This initiative was proposed by the Mutual Agricultural Society in order to prevent suicide and to raise awareness of the psychosocial risks of farmers through a theatre show. "Un temps de cochon" is based on the testimonies of a dozen farmers who may or may not have experienced financial, family or social difficulties in order to discuss the farming profession. The troupe "En compagnie des Oliviers" has touched the audience with its interpretation of professional and personal moments experienced by farmers. Through moving, dramatic and humorous lines, the prevention messages on psychosocial risks incurred by farmers and their families were heard. The participants were also invited to be active as they were asked by the artists to sing in chorus. A moment of conviviality with local products concluded the shows, which allowed exchanges sometimes quite late in the night.

The ArtsEqual project, is a 6 years project, coordinated by the University of the Arts Helsinki, examines how art as a public service could increase social equality and well-being in Finland in the 2020s. The project fosters the arts as public service and aims to develop strategic steps towards equality. They are carrying out one of the largest research projects in arts and art pedagogy in Finnish history, an interdisciplinary research coordinated by the University of the Arts Helsinki.

For the five years, the aim of the completed development program was to create a broad and well-established funding base for activities that support the well-being through arts and to change the current structures and attitudes towards the activities. The goal was to use art as a natural part of everyday life.

Puppets Project got born from the wish of bringing creative work within a psychiatric service for children and teenagers by the Compagnie Pipa Sol, an organisation which is bringing the art of puppets closer to the general public for many years. The puppets are seen in this project as a great pedagogical tool that can facilitate the expression of the children and it is a great mediator between reality and imaginary. The project was opened for 6 hospitalized children from the Théophile Roussel Hospital Center and 3 groups of 8 teenagers. They have discovered different types of puppets and techniques, how to manipulate the puppets, they co-created scenarios, draw the characters, built puppets, perform and present their artistic moment in front of the public.

Sensitive memories is the result of the artistic residence of Mélanie Dornier, a photographic artist who wished to discover the places and the residents of several EHPAD (establishments of accommodation for dependent elderly people) within the Hospital Grouping of territories Normandie. The photographic work is in essence related to memories: visual and sensitive memories of the past. The project highlights the relations between caregivers and patients using photography as a testimony to appreciate daily acts: medical, family, etc. The project allowed the photographer-author to feed her questioning on the identity of territory. In the intimacy of the rooms, the question of "How was it before?" was asked for 42 volunteer residents that opened their doors and took the time to talk. These were beautiful encounters, full of sharing and emotions that allowed to create a visual and textual collection. The photography was done naturally in the course of the words and in the wandering of the places. At the end of the project, an edited object was realized by the artist and the graphic designer Julie Gallet by mixing texts and photographs. Some photography are available on the page of the artist.

The New European Bauhaus initiative connects the European Green Deal to our daily lives and living spaces. It calls on all Europeans to imagine and build together a sustainable and inclusive future that is beautiful for our eyes, minds, and souls. By creating bridges between different backgrounds, cutting across disciplines and building on participation at all levels, the New European Bauhaus inspires a movement to facilitate and steer the transformation of our societies along three inseparable values:
- sustainability, from climate goals, to circularity, zero pollution, and biodiversity
- aesthetics, quality of experience and style, beyond functionality
- inclusion, from valuing diversity, to securing accessibility and affordability
The New European Bauhaus brings citizens, experts, businesses, and institutions together to reimagine sustainable living in Europe and beyond. In addition to creating a platform for experimentation and connection, the initiative supports positive change also by providing access to EU funding for beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive projects. The document states that what people feel as a need to reconnect with nature, including for health and wellbeing, is supported by research: greater opportunities for contact with green public spaces translate into better health indices for the population and reduce income-related health inequalities. Cultural assets (heritage, arts, local craft, know how, etc.), natural assets (landscapes, natural resources, etc.) as well as social assets (social economy enterprises, local organisations and associations etc.) make a place unique. Cultural life, arts events, concerts are opportunities for connection and social interaction, the binding element that creates a sense of belonging.
The European Commission will count on the cooperation of the European Parliament, the Council, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee to raise awareness and promote the debate in their constituencies, mobilise citizens and private sector actors and share available resources to support the New European Bauhaus. The cooperation of Member States and of the public authorities at international, national, regional and local levels, including participation of civil society and representatives of diverse communities, will be crucial. The Commission invited EU Member States to mainstream the New European Bauhaus core values in their strategies for territorial and socio-economic development, and mobilise the relevant parts of their recovery and resilience plans, as well as the programmes under cohesion policy to build a better future for everyone.