The Art of Wellbeing

Art plays a crucial role in promoting the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. Studies and surveys conducted over the past few decades in the fields of health, psychology and art therapy have shown a strong link between close engagement with art and improved mental and physical wellbeing. 

While there is growing recognition that art is a powerful healing modality—indeed, in recent years we have seen the rise of numerous expressive therapy programs where art, dance, music and other creative activities are used to help individuals process emotions—formal infrastructure that can connect art to those who need it the most is still in its infancy.

Recognizing this need in the Greater Vancouver region, the Vancouver Art Gallery is launching its Art of Wellbeing Lab, a pilot project that seeks to benefit the wellbeing of community members through the arts by leveraging an established ecosystem of researchers, scientists, physicians and Indigenous Elders and healers. Led by Sirish Rao, Interim Co-CEO, and Paula Toledo, Lead Wellbeing Consultant at the Vancouver Art Gallery, the lab utilizes existing infrastructure—formed through close collaborations with renowned health experts and organizations that believe in art’s capacity to heal—to ensure that specific individuals who could benefit from artistic experiences have access to such experiences

The lab is envisioned as a safe and welcoming space where community members of all ages and backgrounds have opportunities to draw upon the resources of the Gallery and its partners to improve their overall health. These opportunities are delivered through innovative initiatives such as PaRx—an initiative of BC Parks Foundation which allows healthcare professionals to prescribe time in nature and can include a visit to the exhibition Emily Carr: Navigating an Impenetrable Landscape for their patient and a guest—and Art of Wellbeing for Seniors (formerly Art At Any Age), which promotes healthy aging in seniors through communal art-making activities and physical movement in response to artistic ideas.

Since April 2025, healthcare professionals have been able to prescribe Gallery visits through BC Parks Foundation’s PaRx program, with overwhelmingly positive response.

“What stands out most is how moved people feel afterward. One client told me she hadn’t realized how much she needed ‘a place to just be’—no pressure, no expectations. Several others have shared how the exhibit gave them a sense of calm they hadn’t felt in weeks.”—Carla Fry, PsyD, director of the Vancouver Psychology Centre in The Journal of Active Aging

In November 2025, the Vancouver Art Gallery’s collaboration with PaRx, an initiative of BC Parks Foundation, received a 2025 Social Prescribing Changemaker Award from the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing (CISP), a national collaborative anchored by the Canadian Red Cross.

Art Improves Wellbeing. Your Support Makes It Possible.

For every $1 invested in social prescribing there is a potential social return on investment of $4.43.

With your help, we can sustain and grow these vital initiatives, ensuring more people experience the transformative impact of art.

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