New £600,000 Mental Health and Arts Progamme launched
31st May, 2024
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has invested National Lottery Funding, along with funding from the Baring Foundation, to announce details of a three-year Mental Health and Arts Programme.
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 £600,000 programme of investment.
The initiative has three strands:
- It will provide tailored training and support for artists to improve their own mental health
- It will offer specialist training and upskilling for artists who work in the field of mental health
- It will benefit wider groups in society, by providing funding that will pair artists with organisations, specialising in mental health work, in order to develop bespoke community arts programmes for vulnerable groups.
Northern Ireland has the highest rate of poor mental health across the UK¹. This investment programme has been established to improve the mental health of artists and arts participants. It follows recent research by the Arts Council which shows that artists suffer particularly poor mental health, when compared to the rest of society².
It’s the Arts Council’s mission to develop and champion the arts through investment, as set out in its 10 Year Strategy for the Arts (artscouncil-ni.org/strategy), launched earlier this month. In particular this National Lottery investment will help achieve Outcome 2 ‘A sector that develops, looks after its people, and is more inclusive’ and Priority 3 ‘We will create the conditions to grow artistic talent and develop the wider arts workforce’.
Speaking at the launch, Roisín McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, explained how the new Mental Health and Arts programme is one example of how 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.”
The Baring Foundation is partnering with the Arts Council to fund the new programme. David Cutler, Director of the Baring Foundation, commented:
“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.”
Inspire Wellbeing, who specialise in working with people living with mental ill health, intellectual disability, autism and addictions, will be leading on the first round of training workshops for artists this summer.
Lisa McElherron Group Director of Insight, Engagement and Innovation at Inspire said:
“Inspire are delighted to part of this much needed and valuable project. This is an important project on so many levels. We all know how art and creativity bring joy and contribute to wellbeing across our society, enriching our sense of connection to each other and the world around us. In Inspire we are lucky to work with artists as part of our services supporting inclusion, recovery and storytelling. Art and the creative industries are important vehicles for exploring many of the social, environmental and economic issues that matter to us all.
“As we all benefit from art and creativity in so many ways, it is vitally important we support the people who create the art, shine a light on the issues and provide us all with so many positive experiences. As workplace wellbeing specialists we are proud to be working alongside the Arts Council as they invest in the mental health and wellbeing of people right across our creative industries in Northern Ireland.”
Other speakers at the event included 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.
Key findings from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Working and Living Conditions of Artists report, 2024:
- 11% decline in real income for artists in Northern Ireland from 2010-23
- 30% of artists perceive mental health issues as personal challenges that hinder their work
- In response to being asked the question “How anxious did you feel yesterday?” Artists report almost twice as high levels of anxiety compared to the rest of the population
- 23.9% of artists have undertaken training relating to community arts but only 16.6% have undergone training relating to mental health
The Arts Council’s 10 Year Strategy 2024-34 Championing the Arts
Outcome 2
A sector that develops, looks after its people, and is more inclusive
Priority 3 – We will create the conditions to grow artistic talent and develop the wider arts workforce
Priority 4 - We will ensure that the arts sector in Ni is inclusive and reflects society
Outcome 4
A sector that contributes to social and economic benefits and cares about the environment
Priority 6 - We will support arts projects that address contemporary societal challenges
Outcome 6
A sector that is more valued across society and government
Priority 9 - We will work in partnership with policy makers, decision makers and people in NI, the positive impact of the arts
Please note, the Working and Living Conditions of Artists report will be published by the Arts Council in full later this year.
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.
References
¹ Mental Health Foundation (2024) (Online) Available at https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk
² Information extracted from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Working and Living Conditions of Artists Report, due to be published later in 2024.
Ends.
Notes to Editors
About the Arts Council of Northern Ireland
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead funding and development agency for the Arts providing support to arts projects throughout the region, through its Treasury and The National Lottery funds. Our funding enables artists and arts organisations to increase access to the arts across society and deliver great art that is within everyone’s reach.
To date, National Lottery players have helped to raise £48 billion for Good Causes, with more than 685,000 individual awards made across the UK. With hundreds of lottery grants in every postcode district, most people will have benefited from a National Lottery-funded project at some point.