The last decade has seen a burgeoning of arts & health activity across Canada. In hospitals, classrooms, community centres, parks and cultural spaces, more and more Canadians are embracing the notion that the arts have a role to play in health, healing and wellbeing. Further, the arts provide an innovative avenue to explore personal, social and environmental factors that influence the health of individuals, populations and the sustainability of the health care system. However, despite growing interest and awareness, there remains a lack of comprehensive information on the scope, frequency and location of arts & health activities.
To address this information gap, in the Fall of 2014, Arts Health BC launched On The Map: Arts & Health in BC, a province-wide survey project to learn more about arts & health programming in BC and coalesce a more complete picture of this emerging and growing sector.
The project wrapped in the Spring of 2015 with the release of the OTM Final Report and directory of arts & health activity in BC, as well as a google map plotting projects across the province. In November 2015 Arts Health BC and Arts Health Network Canada, in partnership with Hello Cool World were pleased to release a mini-doc on Arts & Health activity in BC, based on the OTM project.
The OTM project findings will be used by Arts Health BC and other stakeholders, to facilitate knowledge sharing and foster relationship development between organizations and individuals with a shared passion arts & health.
Thank You!
We at Arts Health BC are very grateful to everyone who took the time to respond to the survey, and to our many colleagues across different sectors in British Columbia who helped to promote the project by posting it in their newsletters, blogs, and social media outlets or simply by forwarding our message to their communities. Thank you.
