On the occasion of the 19th Annual Conference in Helsinki of ENCATC (European Network of Cultural Administration Training Centres), the ENCATC Thematic Area ”Arts and Health” will join forces for a debate about the art, culture and cultural management in the context of health.

Within ENCATC our strengths are in two areas: in education/training and in administration. We have important competencies to offer in order to enrich the cooperation with the social services and health sector. In this meeting we are focusing on the role of art, artist and cultural manager in the context. In the meeting we are discussing which opportunities and challenges we see relevant for the future. How does education/training monitor the changes?

The keynotes of the meeting include a presentation Turku 2011: Culture does good by R&D Manager Jukka Saukkolin. Well-being is a main objective of the European Capital of Culture year. Since 2008, the theme is emphasized from different perspectives such as communality and active participation. Nearly half of the productions of the year demonstrate partnership between culture and well-being. The other keynote, Dance Mirrors, given by Dr Jenny Elliott from Arts Care, N. I. articulates how to use dance practice and embodied knowledge to inform and generate a contemporary arts-based management methodology. The presentation will also draw down meaning and evalute the impact of a professional contemporary dance residency practice within a specific trauma recovery healthcare environment

This invitation is to everybody who shares the point of view of the meaning and importance of art, art based practices and services for rehabilitation and for community and for social purposes. Art and arts based practices within health settings have been widely discussed during the past years as there is an obvious, growing demand and financial pressure for finding and developing new and more effective working methods. Arts and health are also viewed as a growing sector in meaning-intensive production and creative economy. For an artistic community this context can offer job opportunities.
There is a demand for bridge builders!