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Healing Arts: Barcelona will become a meeting point between art, culture and health
The MNAC, the Jameel Arts & Health Lab and the WHO join efforts to strengthen the link between the arts and well-being in Catalonia.
The National Art Museum of Catalonia takes a step forward and partners with the Jameel Arts & Health Lab and the World Health Organization to promote Healing Arts Barcelona , an initiative that has the support of the Departments of Culture and Health of the Generalitat and that puts the arts at the center of the debate on health and well-being. This project has already been carried out in cities such as Venice, London, New York, Basel, Jaipur, Houston, Atlanta and Scotland, but now, for the first time, it arrives in Spain with Barcelona as a point of reference.
Under the slogan The arts take care of us – culture is health , from 20 to 26 October 2025, Catalonia will be filled with activities related to the arts, culture and health. Round tables, exhibitions, screenings, live shows or community actions will be organized in different spaces, not only in Barcelona, but also in other parts of the territory such as Lleida, Tarragona, Granollers, Sitges, Vic or Baix Llobregat.
Corona Quilt Project a Jaipur (Índia). Un dels projectes impulsats pel Jameel Arts & Health Lab durant el 2022.
This initiative is part of the MNAC's strategy to become something more than a traditional museum. According to Pepe Serra, director of the institution, "Healing Arts Barcelona reflects our commitment to expanding the role of the museum as an agent of cultural, social and health change". The aim is, among other things, to create bridges between the artistic world, public policies and the areas of health and well-being. The Jameel Arts & Health Lab organization was born in 2023 with the aim of advancing the improvement of health through the arts, with special attention to groups that are often left outside public policies or the usual circuits of care. Its work combines the collection of data and evidence, support for artists in social projects and training programs that promote the incorporation of art into formal health systems.
In addition to the activities open to the public, an in-depth study on the situation of Arts in Health in Catalonia will be carried out throughout the week. The research will be led by specialists from the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, in collaboration with the University of New York, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Vic. The aim is to obtain a detailed view of the initiatives, projects and professionals already working in this field, and for this map to serve to guide policies, promote new collaborations and promote research and specialized training. Healing Arts Barcelona comes at a time when there is increasing consensus on the value of culture as a tool for health, and the aim is for this proposal to be not just a one-off event, but to generate a legacy that strengthens the role of the arts in health in a stable and long-term way.
