Rainbow Myth
21st March-17th April 2018 an exhibition of work from artist Deborah Ireland representing an emotional exploration of her relationship with her son who has high functioning autism. 
The exhibition coincides with during World Autism Awareness Week 26th March-2nd April 2018.
https://www.facebook.com/events/204641656971941/
About me
I have been painting and sculpting for many years. I like to recycle materials for my sculpture of make new materials which have connections with the conceptual aspect of the work. When painting I use acrylic paint as I enjoy the vibrancy of colour and speed at which I can produce work.  Aside from public art projects I have been mainly making autobiographical work from my home studio. In recent years I have been exploring my experience as a parent through portraiture and allegoric figurative work. I have also been making paintings and sculpture about disability, gender equality and gender perception. These works also have roots in personal experience as well as exploring the global narrative.
www.deborahireland.com
https://twitter.com/deb_ireland
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Strength in Networks
A comparative analysis of six creative interventions designed for people diagnosed  with dementia across England and Wales
This report has been written as part of Dementia Connect funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Dementia Connect builds on the learning of the Creative Economy Knowledge Exchange Hubs (2012-2016) and aims to “grow a dementia innovation network” based in the North West of England. This report responds and builds on Dementia Connect’s belief that: “in making sense of complex artistic interventions and their context-dependent effects, an understanding of different aesthetic, social, cultural, and economic impacts may be relevant.”
It explores the different contexts which surrounding a very particular focus, beginning with a description of how one artist intervention working with people diagnosed with dementia came about in the North West (Drawing on Strengths). A wider scoping exercise then opens out with descriptions of five other examples of similar practice which also deploy creative interventions for people diagnosed with dementia, sited across the UK.
These six case studies were chosen with the aim of examining how different regional and national bodies - through different forms of partnership involving health and cultural organisations alike - are together attempting to meet the particular challenges posed for people in the crucial post-diagnostic period.
 Strength in Networks Final Report.pdf
 
 

We're delighted to launch Mental Health Awareness Week 2018, which will take place from 14-20 May 2018!
This year, we're focusing on stress. Chronic stress increases our risk of addictive and damaging behaviour, of developing anxiety, depression and other mental and physical health problems.
This Mental Health Awareness Week, we will look at how we can tackle stress and help improve the UK's mental health.
Explore the theme in more detail
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Following a successful pilot project, The Centre for Arts as Wellbeing at the University of Winchester are launching a CPD Programme, Creative and Credible, led by Professor Norma Daykin. We are delighted to welcome to the team Jane Willis, Project Lead for Willis Newson, and co-producer with Professor Daykin of the Creative and Credible Website.
 
The programme aims to support best practice in evaluation in arts, health and wellbeing. There is an option to attend an introductory workshop at a significantly reduced price, and an opportunity to undertake an intensive follow-up programme with a small group of participants. Details of the introductory workshop are below.
 
Introduction to Creative and Credible
Thursday 3rd May 2018, 10:30am-4:00pm
Venue: University of Winchester (Cost: £35.00 per person)
This introductory workshop will explore key principles and methodologies for evaluating creative arts for health and wellbeing. It will explore the types of evidence that might be useful for arts practitioners and organisations seeking to develop a wellbeing focus as part of their work. It will examine each phase of the evaluation cycle, from planning through to dissemination, responding to participants’ questions and providing guidance on when and how to use different evaluation approaches, methods and tools.
 
Professor Daykin is an award-winning researcher with extensive experience of evaluating arts projects in a wide variety of health and wellbeing contexts. She is co-executive editor of Arts and Health: an International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice, and author of Public Health England’s Arts, Health and Wellbeing Evaluation Framework.
 
Willis Newson is a leading UK arts consultancy specialising in creating environments that are inspiring, reassuring and patient-centred. It has particular expertise in arts and health evaluation, developed through a longstanding relationship with the University of the West of England. The Willis Newson approach to evaluation is rigorous, appropriate to the context and rooted in creative practice.
 
For further information about the Creative and Credible Project that informed the design of the programme, please visit the Creative and Credible website via the link below:
 
http://creativeandcredible.co.uk/
 
To book your place on the Introductory session, please follow this link:
 
https://store.winchester.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/centre-for-arts-as-wellbeing/events/introduction-to-creative-and-credible
 
 

The Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance is a new national organisation for all who believe in the value of cultural engagement and participation for health and wellbeing. It will advocate for the work, provide training, resources and events, and develop understanding of how participating in cultural activities can help individual and community health and wellbeing.

For many years, organisations around the country have been working in hospitals and care homes, in museums and galleries and community spaces creating cultural opportunities for people living with physical and mental ill health. Now, for the first time, these organisations are coming together to provide a shared and collective voice for this work. The Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance brings together the National Alliance for Arts, Health and Wellbeing with the National Alliance for Museums, Health and Wellbeing and involves over 40 leading organisations.

The Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance is a free membership organisation and will provide monthly updates on policy and developments in the field, access to resources and research, as well as deliver training, conferences and events. It will advocate for the importance of cultural engagement for the health and wellbeing of everyone in society. It will work closely with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing to bring about a step change in policy and delivery, and will focus on a strong regional infrastructure to support development and progress in the field. The Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance is an Arts Council Sector Support Organisation, joining the National Portfolio of Organisations.

This is a rapidly expanding field with many museums and cultural organisations now developing programmes designed to support health and wellbeing. The new Alliance will encourage good practice, connecting healthcare providers, commissioners and clinicians with cultural organisations to deliver the best possible opportunities for everyone to benefit from the health and wellbeing impact of high quality cultural experiences.

At Birmingham Museum, 150 practitioners, artists, doctors and health service users came to celebrate the launch of the new Alliance with the Birmingham Choir with No Name, artist Bobby Baker, Lord Howarth of Newport, President of the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance and Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Arts, Health and Wellbeing and Mags Patten, Executive Director of Public Policy and Communications at Arts Council England.
To find out more and to join the new Alliance, please visit: www.culturehealthandwellbeing.org.uk

The Steering Group is made up of regional representation:
Arts Derbyshire
Arts & Health South West
Arts & Minds
Beaney House of Art and Knowledge
Birmingham Museums Trust
British Museum
Creative Health CIC
Equal Arts
London Arts in Health Forum
Manchester Metropolitan University
Mansfield Museum
Ministry of Others
National Museums Liverpool
Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery
Thackray Medical Museum
Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums
University College London
University of Cambridge Museums
Supporting this will be a group of Strategic Alliance Members including:
64 Million Artists
Age Friendly Museums Network
Age of Creativity
Art Fund
Association of British Orchestras
Breathe Arts Health Research
British Association of Art Therapists
British Association of Drama Therapists
British Association of Music Therapists
Creative Dementia Arts Network
Culture 24
​Group for Education in Museums GEM
Happy Museum
Historic England
Lapidus
Live Music Now
Making Music
Music in Hospitals & Care
National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance
Nordoff Robbins
Paintings in Hospitals
People Dancing
Royal Society for Public Health Special Interest Group for Arts, Health & Wellbeing
Snape Maltings
Social Prescribing Network
Sport in Museums Network
The Reader
The Whitworth and Manchester Museums
Voluntary Arts Network
Willis Newson
Yorkshire Sculpture Park Supported by:
Arts & Health South West   ,PO Box 834 EXETER EX3 9BB Contact Us  @ArtsHealthSW

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​The King’s Fund has published research into the attitudes of health commissioners working with voluntary and community organisations.
The research shows wide variation in the attitudes of commissioners and points to increased challenges in developing co-production between health commissioners and the community sector.
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/commissioner-perspectives-voluntary-community-social-enterprise-sector
 

The latest release from the Office of National Statistics shows a slight increase in reported personal wellbeing over the past year.
The figures also show a slight increase in personal feelings of anxiety. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/measuringnationalwellbeing/october2016toseptember2017
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The Wellcome Trust has re-opened its public engagement fund with a new set of guidance and procedures for grants of between £25,000 and £250,000. The funds are to support projects which engage the public with health, encouraging new approaches and fresh thinking about health and health research.
Successful projects will:

•   innovate or try new ways of working
•  develop an existing activity where you have evidence that it has been        successful, either by exploring ways to make it sustainable or by scaling it up in a cost-effective manner
  
• learn from a successful engagement activity delivered by you or others, and replicate it with a new audience, eg a different demographic or location.

https://wellcome.ac.uk/news/public-engagement-fund-relaunch-tighter-focus-outcomes
 

Greater Manchester’s Combined Authority has allocated £7m over the next two years to arts organisations aiming to deliver cultural impact including a range of organisations working in health and wellbeing.
28 organisations are set to receive a share of £7 million investment over the next two years. The portfolio includes emerging arts and social impact organisations alongside established and large scale organisations.
https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/news/article/273/7m_funding_given_to_culture_and_social_impact_organisations_across_greater_manchester

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation has announced a programme of five years of support for seven sector support and advocacy organisations including the Cultural Learning Alliance, What Next? and the Clore Social Programme.
The organisations will receive between £150,000 and £200,000 over the next five years from the newly created Backbone Fund is to help non frontline organisations support core costs and acknowledges that “Resources for advocacy, collaboration, business development and other core functions have become increasingly scarce, yet are critical to a thriving civil society.”
https://www.phf.org.uk/funds/backbone-fund/
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