Arts Council NI and the Baring Foundation launch new £600,000 Mental Health and Arts Progamme

The Baring Foundation and Arts Council Northern Ireland have today launched a new joint fund for arts and mental health, worth £600,000 over three years.

Artists, arts groups and representatives from mental health organisations, gathered at a special event in the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast to hear about the new programme.

The initiative will have three strands to it:

• tailored training and support for artists to improve their own mental health;
• specialist training and upskilling for artists who work in the field of mental health;
• funding that will pair artists with organisations who specialise in mental health work to develop bespoke community arts programmes for vulnerable groups.

This new programme follows recent research by the Arts Council which shows that artists suffer particularly poor mental health, when compared to the rest of society.

Speaking at the launch, Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, explained how the new Mental Health and Arts programme is a great example of one way they will do this. She said:

“It has become increasingly clear to us, through our research and discussions with artists and healthcare professionals, that this intervention has become an imperative for the Arts Council.

“We know that the arts can play a significant role in helping to promote good mental health across all of society but if we are to expand upon those benefits, as the arts become increasingly integrated into the work of mental healthcare provision, we must ensure we are also looking after those tasked with delivering these interventions, starting first with supporting and upskilling our own artists.

“Some of our best creative talent, such as our theatre companies, musicians and visual artists, are already engaged with local communities and healthcare organisations, delivering a wide range of programmes for vulnerable groups. Through this new Mental Health and Arts Programme, we can look forward to growing that work over the next three years, building not only a more resilient sector but the funding to support a host of new arts-based projects within the mental health and wellbeing arena.”

David Cutler, Director of the Baring Foundation, said:

“The Baring Foundation is delighted to be partnering again with the Arts Council Northern Ireland. We believe that everyone had the right to be creative and this new fund will give new cultural opportunities to people with mental health problems at a time when need has never been higher.”

Other speakers at the event included Lisa McElherron of the mental health charity, Inspire, Arts Council Economist Javier Stanziola, who presented recent research on the mental health and wellbeing of arts practitioners in Northern Ireland, writer and multi-disciplinary artist Soso Ní Cheallaigh, and writer and performance poet Alice McCullough.

Further details of training workshop for artists and funding opportunities for eligible projects will be announced via the Arts Council’s website and social media platforms.

(Artwork from the McArt Rooms project, Northern Health and Social Care Trust).