CVAN London’s Director Dr Jo Townshend joined Sophie Leighton, Director, Bethlem Gallery, at The Arts of Practice, a Creative Health and Wellbeing Symposium at Bethlem Gallery. Jo was in discussion with Dr Tola Dabiri and Professor Helen Chatterjee MBE about their journeys into the field of creative health and the work they are now leading in London and nationally, and what is its value in visual art settings, and to society?
The contribution of artists and visual arts organisations in tackling health inequalities is vitally important to support individuals whose needs cannot be met with medical interventions alone. This was demonstrated in a thought-provoking and reflective conversation with case studies that highlighted the complexity oftoday’s mental health issues.
From issues of isolation and loneliness, and exclusionary societal structures to the ketamine crisis, the public health crisis needs arts-led approaches. In her role as Mobilising Community Assets Programme Director, Helen called for us, ‘to act now, to collaborate, to work with communities, build trust, breakstigma, and develop creative interventions that genuinely change lives’.
As Chair of London Arts and Health’s ARCH group, Tola advocates for representation in creative health and drew attention to some of the challenges of working in the cultural sector. She highlighted that conditions for wellbeing events in some cultural and museum settings may produce ‘ill-being’. The need for decolonisation and issues of language within cultural-medical settings were discussed. The opportunity for a working group to develop a more inclusive and equitable lexicon for creative health were raised.
Jo extended her thanks to Tola and Helen for their valuable and insightful contributions. Sincere thanks also go to Sophie for the invitation to CVAN London to contribute, to the team at Bethlem Gallery, the generous group of contributors and attendees for making the symposium such a deeply informative, careful and inspiring day. Jo will be extending an invitation to CVAN London members to register their interest in a Creative Health and Wellbeing working group.
For further information and reading:
Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance
London’s Art and Health
National Centre for Creative Health_ Creativity for Healthy Lives
Britain’s Ketamine Crisis
Creative Health Economics: a new workstream to build the economic business case for creative health
Embedding Creative Health in Integrated Care Systems: Insights from Gloucestershire
Creative Wellbeing Measures Toolkit
Speaker Biographies
Dr Tola Dabiri has been involved with Hastings Book Festival since 2022, as a steering group member and as a Director since 2025.
Tola has worked across the cultural sector since 1995, beginning her career in public libraries and archives. She has also worked at the Museums Libraries and Archives Council, The National Archives, the UK Centre for Carnival Arts, the National Academy for Social Prescribing.
Tola is the Chair of London Arts and Health’s ARCH group (Advocates for Representation in Creative Health). Tola is also a consultant in the cultural sector.
Tola was awarded a PhD from Leeds Beckett University, for her research looking at orality and the intangible cultural heritage of British Caribbean Carnival, and has published a number of academic papers. She is also an aspiring (but unpublished!) fiction writer and poet, and loves the creative communities and environment in Hastings.
Professor Helen Chatterjee, MBE, is Professor of Human & Ecological Health in UCL Biosciences and UCL Arts &Sciences; she is also currently the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Research Programme Director for Health Inequalities.
Her research includes evidencing the impact of natural and cultural participation on health; she co-founded the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance, was an Advisor to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts and Health (now APPG Creative Health), and is a Founding Trustee and Advisor for the National Centre for Creative Health.
