Healing Arts is a global campaign by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab in collaboration with the World Health Organization
Healing Arts
Explore the full programme of events; from performances, exhibitions to interactive public art, hands-on workshops, and thought-provoking symposia and policy panels.
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Wednesday 22 October 10:15 - 19:30
Mollet Hospital Auditorium
The Brain Film Fest is an international film festival dedicated to reflecting and discussing the brain, its health and the related social challenges. On the occasion of its 15th anniversary, it arrives in Mollet del Vallès, its hometown, with the support of the Mollet City Council, the Mollet Health Foundation and the Abelló Museum. With the aim of bringing reflections on the brain, creativity and health to the public, the program will include several activities.
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Wednesday 22 October
Centre Cívic Drassanes, Barcelona
Incertesa Park is a text-based theater performance that reflects the concerns of people with Parkinson’s, written and directed by Montse Butjosa, with the active participation of occupational therapist Montse Gabaldà. The performance arose naturally from the participants’ needs after beginning theater workshops. It has a duration of 50 minutes and is followed by a post-show discussion. The performance is staged by people with Parkinson’s and is based on interviews and collaborative work sessions with the participating actors during a theater workshop in 2023. The project was initiated thanks to the LLetra Prize (Prudenci Bertrana) 2022 Edition awarded to Sofía Malagón, a nurse and Parkinson’s patient who spearheaded the initiative.
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October 22, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
La Bòbila Athenaeum, Barcelona
This project aims to offer young people a creative platform to share their graphic works and spark conversations about sexual health and care culture. Art is used as a transformative tool, not only to express personal perspectives but also to foster dialogue and collective reflection. Participants experiment with different techniques—drawing, digital illustration, collage, or comics—to explore themes such as consent, body diversity, gender identities, and the importance of relationships based on respect and mutual support.
October 22, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Girona Cinemas
A panel of health arts experiences at the San Juan de Dios Health Park in incarcerated settings and a screening of the audiovisual "Five Days to Dance," which showcases the community-based creation of a dance-theater performance at the Brians 1 Penitentiary Center (including a discussion with its director).
Biblioteca i CAP d'Avinyó
An exhibition of mobiles created by users of mental health organizations as part of the Natura és Cultura project, under the direction of multidisciplinary artist Quim Moya, held at the CAP and the Avinyó Library. The project also includes a participatory activity with local residents, students from Barnola School, and mental health organizations, supported by the Avinyó City Council. The objectives are to improve the emotional well-being of people living with mental health conditions, raise awareness among the general population, identify at-risk students, and combat the stigma associated with mental illness.
Wednesday 22 October 17:00 - 18:30
Classroom 404, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bellvitge Campus
Christian Budgen, director of Pallapupas, will present a vision of how art can act as a strategic tool for health and well-being in the healthcare setting in a lecture at the University of Barcelona. Through his experience documenting and studying the impact of the arts on healthcare, Budgen will share evidence demonstrating how artistic initiatives can improve both the patient experience and the well-being of healthcare professionals.
Wednesday 22 October 15:00 - 17:00
Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona
Intensive one-day session to discover how humor can become a powerful tool for well-being and self-care. Through participatory dynamics, theatrical games and creativity exercises, we will explore clowning, laughter and human connection as resources to improve mood, reduce tension and promote emotional well-being. An experiential and participatory day, where all exercises are done with respect and at the personal pace of each participant. No previous experience is necessary: just a desire to play, laugh and share.
Wednesday 22 October 16:00 - 18:00
Osonament, Vic
Artistic Couples, creative experiences for mental health, consists of the creation and subsequent exhibition of works made by artistic couples formed by an artist linked to mental health resources and an artist external to mental health services. The production process takes place in the community context. The exhibition is the public presentation of the works and the culmination of the work carried out. Project supported by BBVA and Fundació Antiga Caixa Manlleu
Wednesday 22 October 12:30 - 14:00 PM
Gran Teatre del Liceu La Rambla, 59, Ciutat Vella, 08002 Barcelona
ESMUC is holding a special event reviewing ten years of the International Arts and Health Conference. It will review the project and present the program for the next edition of the Arts and Health Conference, which will take place on November 14 and 15. Finally, it will feature a performance by the chamber ensemble from the Supercapacitats project.
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October 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Hospital Campus Limited places >> registrations open
A day dedicated to research in Arts in Health, organized by the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital (ICS), the National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC) and the research group Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M₃O) of the University of Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya
Saturday 25 October 11:30 - 13:30
Fabra i Coats, Barcelona
This activity proposes an intergenerational space for encounter and collective creation through embroidery, with the aim of generating a shared manifesto around care and its multiple articulations. For two hours, participants will be invited to reflect on the affective, political, and social dimensions of caregiving while embroidering phrases, words, or symbols that emerge from the shared dialogue. Embroidery will be understood not only as a technique, but as a sensitive practice that fosters listening, situated thinking, and the building of connections. Throughout the event, short texts and excerpts from contemporary authors who have reflected on caregiving from feminist, community, and poetic perspectives will be shared. These materials will act as triggers for conversations, the exchange of experiences, and, in turn, a shared narrative that will be captured on a large canvas. The activity aims to open a sustained space for horizontal co-creation in which craftsmanship combines with critical and affective thinking. The result will be an embroidered manifesto that captures the voices and sensibilities of all the participants, as a testament to a shared reflection on how we inhabit—and want to inhabit—caregiving. Organized by: Colectivo Corso
Thursday 23 October 13:30 - 15:00
CCIB - International Barcelona Convention Center
Christopher Bailey is the leader of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Arts in Health program and co-founder of the Jameel Arts and Health Lab. He will be speaking at the 17th World Stroke Congress.