Arts and Culture
Evaluation Guidance for Artists and Arts Organisations
This simple step-by-step guide provides a process for evaluating the impact of the work of arts projects. It also assists arts practitioners and organisations to build capacity for self-evaluation.
The guidance was developed in partnership with arts practitioners, arts organisations, arts therapists, academics, people with mental health problems, carers and commissioners.
The evaluation guidance is currently being updated, and will soon be available here.
Mental Health, Social Inclusion and the Arts
Mental Health, social inclusion and arts: developing the evidence base is a study commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Health in response to the Social Exclusion Unit's report on mental health and social exclusion. The study relates to participatory arts and mental health work in England with people with mental health needs aged 16 to 65 and does not therefore include art therapy. It was carried out by a team from Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Central Lancashire.
Headlines from the report include:
- there were significant improvements in empowerment, mental health and social inclusion.
- there was a significant decrease in the proportion of participants identified as frequent or regular service users to the extent that improvements could be attributed to arts participation
- the greater improvement in empowerment and mental health amongst people with poorer mental health at baseline indicates that arts projects can benefit people with a range of mental health needs, including those with significant mental health difficulties.
To download your copy of the final report click here.
"Open to All" Training package
Social inclusion and mental health awareness training
for museums and galleries
A training package designed to encourage museums and galleries to involve people with experience of mental health problems was commissioned by a partnership of NSIP, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, the V&A , the Tate Modern, the Wallace Collection and Portugal Prints, and developed by the University of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT and the Lost Artists Club. It aims to help build the bridges needed between people with mental health problems, museums and galleries and the wider community.
Open to All has been devised to raise awareness and support museums and galleries to create a more accessible and inclusive environment for all their users. The topics covered include:
- Understanding mental health and mental ill health
- Social exclusion: stigma and discrimination
- Arts and mental health
- Recovery and social inclusion
The training package, designed as four half-day modules, consists of detailed trainer notes, aims, objectives and outcomes, full lesson plans and all the resources required for each module. It also includes over 50 short DVDs – interviews with people with experience of mental health problems on specific themes.
This training package has been developed for the purpose of training museum and gallery staff, and should not be used in any way for profit or gain. Please also note that the DVDs that come as part of this package are personal statements and should always be used respectfully.
A large number of resources were developed for the Open to All training package. The Inclusion Institute is currently revising and updating the training package and resources, and will launch version 2 shortly.
If you are interested in finding out more, or in being contacted when Open to All version 2 is launched, please email us info@socialinclusion.org.uk.
Useful Links
Department Culture, Media & Sport
Museums, Galleries and Archives Council
The MLA Partnership is government's agency for museums, galleries, libraries and archives. The MLA deliver strategic leadership in England and in each of its regions and we collaborate with partners across the UK. Our research identifies good practice, which we use to promote improvement. We offer advice, support and resources to funding bodies and other groups to incentivise innovation. Our aim is to raise professional standards and champion better services for users and readers of all ages and backgrounds, whether residents or visitors.
Voluntary Arts Network
The Voluntary Arts Network aims to promote participation in the arts and crafts across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The Saatchi Gallery displays artists work within its website for free. Click on the link to see Ron Peronis' art work. Ron has been a mental health service user.
Critical ConnectionsIs the arts and health development programme for Yorkshire and The Humber
Arts and Minds network
Arts and heath network with main focus on mental health in the Leeds area