Arts and culture: A bridge to health futures

Join experts from Australia and Spain for a discussion of recent research on arts–health pathways, including emotion regulation, stress reduction and sense of self, and explore how cultural institutions, creative industries and community partners create the conditions for embodied participation.

Guided by short talks and facilitated discussion, participants will consider following questions:

• How does embodied artistic and cultural experience relate to health outcomes?
• How can arts-health interventions be culturally and locally grounded?
• What partnerships and infrastructures are needed to sustain cultural-arts-health work?
• How can individual transformative experiences lead to systemic change?

Event details:

• Friday 5 June 2026
• 9am–2pm (CEST)
• Hybrid (in person & Microsoft Teams)
• Venue: RMIT Europe, Cornerstone Complex, Carrer de València 54, Sant Martí, 08005 Barcelona
• Language: English
• Cost: Free, registration required

Presentations:

• Design, Wellbeing and Environments of Care - Professor Laurene Vaughan, Research Director, RMIT Europe.
• Interactive Digital Arts for Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Recovery - Associate Professor Jonathan Duckworth, RMIT School of Design and Founder & Convener CiART (Creative interventions, Art and Rehabilitative Technology).
• Incorporating Art into Scientific Narratives: A Framework for Interdisciplinary Engagement - Norma Vélez San Juan, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya; Ester Benages Campins, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya; Maria Mateu Herrando, Hospital Clínic; Anna Jover Moreno, Hospital Clínic; Marta Porta Vilaró, Hospital Clínic.
• Iftar in the street: a communitarian-based event in Catalan cities - Víctor Albert-Blanco, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) / ISOR-UAB.
• How do the arts support wellbeing? - Developing a conceptual model - Louise Foott, Head of Arts in Health & Education, MTU Crawford College of Art & Design and Professional Doctorate Scholar, RCSI Centre for Positive Health Sciences.
• Arts-based Interventions, Mental Health and Grief - Dr Tamara Borovica, RMIT University and co-director, Health Talk Australia.
• Arts on Prescription: The Science Behind Culture as Mental Healthcare - Carlos Manuel Moita de Figueiredo, CEO & Founder of Flainar.
• Arts and Culture: A Bridge to Health Futures - Dr Gabriela Irrazabal, Research Fellow, RMIT Europe.

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Host or Publisher RMIT Europe