Despite their most heroic efforts, social enterprises alone cannot cement a sustainable, long-term partnership between health and the arts. Government institutions must create the frameworks needed to make that happen. In the interval between the release of the WHO report in 2019 and the publication of this white paper, several very interesting processes have been set in motion, such as the aforementioned institutional statement made by the Spanish Senate in September 2020 and other, more recent initiatives:
Culture for Health : this is a cross-sectorial, trans-European project funded by the European Commission that aims to generate knowledge and compile policy guidelines on how to enhance well-being and health through culture. Several Cultura en Vena initiatives, including the MIR Project, have been included in this European framework:
WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts & Health : created in 2021, this centre aims to carry out world-class research into how the arts, culture and heritage affect mental and physical health. It is working with the culture/healthcare ecosystem to develop arts and health policy globally and will provide training and resources to support this new field.
Art, health and the Inter-American Development Bank: In January 2022, the Inter-American Development Bank presented an interesting publication titled Healing a Broken World: The Power of Art for Social Transformation in the Post-Pandemic Era . At an international symposium held a few months later, the Cultura en Vena team was able to share our experience with the MIR Project.
Cultura en Vena appeared before the Assembly of Madrid (legislative body of the region of Madrid) to inform all the political parties represented there of the arts and health projects currently in progress.
Cultura en Vena appeared before the regional Parliament of Navarre after a motion to support artistic practices in healthcare settings was passed almost unanimously by all political parties in that body.
On 21 June 2022, World Music Day, the president of the Congress of Deputies made an institutional statement on behalf of the entire Spanish Parliament, acknowledging the role of music in healthcare.
