Research group
Arts, Health and Well-being
We work in a multidisciplinary way to develop the potential of arts, culture and creative activities to promote well-being, health, inclusion and a sense of community.
Our multidisciplinary research group serves as a platform and inspiring cooperation forum for the development of arts, health and well-being competence at Turku UAS.
Everyone has the right to art, creativity and culture as part of a good life. Based on research and experience, we know that participation in arts, culture and creative activities can increase the perceived well-being of both individuals and communities. Through arts and cultural activities, we can support the agency of different kinds of people, strengthen the experience of inclusion and improve the quality of life.
What are we developing?
Our research group develops operating models in the field of creative well-being and the competence of professionals in the field in different operating environments. We want to support encounters between people and comprehensive well-being through art and culture. This is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promotes social and cultural sustainability in particular.
Our projects focus on three key themes:
1) We strengthen the competence of professionals in the field of arts, health and well-being. Our focus areas are especially multiprofessional work and professional growth. We also develop art-based working methods and opportunities to utilise different art forms to support well-being, encounters, teaching and education. We have long experience in developing hospital and care music work in Finland.
2) We will develop networks, communications, knowledge base and structures in the field of arts, health and well-being in regional, national and international cooperation. Our focus is especially on Nordic and Baltic Sea co-operation.
3) We study and develop the evaluation of arts, health and well-being activities as well as art prescription and cultural referral activities.
What is arts, health and well-being?
Art and culture in their various forms are part of a good life. They belong to everyone, regardless of age, condition or living conditions. Arts, health and well-being means that individuals or communities feel that art, culture and creative activities have a positive impact on their well-being. All people are cultural experiencers and actors with cultural needs and rights. The fulfillment and realization of these is arts, health and well-being.
The Finnish word “kulttuurihyvinvointi” for arts, health and well-being was developed in 2012–2013 as part of the activities of the Creative well-being in Turku network. The new word was introduced in cooperation between Turku University of Applied Sciences, the University of Turku, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, the City of Turku and local organizations to describe art and cultural well-being activities.
We want to increase the role of art and creative activities in developing future solutions and supporting well-being. Through art and culture, we can influence and be impressed together!
Anna-Mari Rosenlöf, Senior Advisor, Research Group Leader
Taikusydän – Arts & Health Coordination Centre in Finland
We have been developing the Taikusydän contact point activities since 2015. Taikusydän promotes cooperation between the fields of arts and culture, health and social services and education and between research and education. It acts as a national network and expert in creative well-being.
Taikusydän communicates about creative well-being activities and develops and disseminates good practices that make art, cultural and creative activities a permanent part of promoting health, well-being and inclusion.
We were also involved in:
Researched
More than 95% of people with mental health problems consider culture to be an appropriate form of coping with mental health problems.
– The Finnish Central Association for Mental Health, Mental Health Barometer 2021
76% of Finns want hospitals and care institutions to offer the opportunity to experience art and culture.
– Kantar Public, 2022, survey
Turku University of Applied Sciences is a strong expert in arts, health and well-being in Southwest Finland. We work closely together to develop creative well-being in the area of the Well-being Services County of Southwest Finland, Varha, especially the diversity of creative well-being for older people as part of a meaningful, active everyday life. Together, we are part of an extensive Creative Well-being Interface Working Group of Varha, which aims to promote arts, health and well-being in the region, together with municipalities and other actors.
Service coordinators from specialist services for the elderly in the wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland (Varha)
Publications
Laitinen, L; Bojner Horwitz, E; Flavin, M; Petkutė, I; Sakellari, E; Thyrén, D (eds.). 2023 Towards Creative Wellbeing – Codeveloping Multimodal Pedagogical Approaches in Higher Education . Reports from Turku University of Applied Sciences 291
Rosenlöf, A-M. 2023. Kulttuurihyvinvoinnin historia on taiteen ja parantamisen historiaa, joka ulottuu taiteen syntyvaiheisiin. TALK online magazine of Turku University of Applied Sciences
Laitinen, L., Jakonen, O., Lahtinen, E. & Lilja-Viherlampi, L. -M. 2020From grass-roots activities to national policies – the state of arts and health in Finland, Arts & Health
Koivisto, T.-A., Lehikoinen, K., Lilja-Viherlampi, L.-M., Lapio, P. & Salanterä, S. 2020. Taide ja kulttuuri sairaalassa ja terveyspalveluissa. ArtsEqual Policy Brief 1/2020. University of the Arts
Lilja-Viherlampi, L.-M. (ed.) 2019. Musiikkihyvinvointia!: Musiikkityö sairaala- ja hoivaympäristössä. Turku University of Applied Sciences
Lilja-Viherlampi, L.-M. & Rosenlöf, A-M. 2019. Moninäkökulmainen kulttuurihyvinvointi. In Tanskanen, I. (ed.) Taide töissä – Näkökulmia taiteen opetukseen sekä taiteilijan rooliin yhteisöissä. Turku University of Applied Sciences
Lilja-Viherlampi, L.-M. & Koivisto, T.-A. 2019. Mapping music and well-being in the Finnish context through music practitioners’ work and educational views. TALK online magazine, Turku University of Applied Sciences
Lehikoinen, K. & Vanhanen, E. (eds.) Taide ja hyvinvointi: Katsauksia kansainväliseen tutkimukseen. Kokos Poblications 1/2017. The University of the Arts Helsinki
Laitinen, L. 2017. Vaikuttavaa? Taiteen hyvinvointivaikutusten tarkastelua. Turku University of Applied Sciences
Collaborative publications
We are involved in editing and developing two collaborative publications in the field of creative well-being:
Education related to our activities (in Finnish)
- Creative Well-being (Master’s Degree)
- Basics of Creative Well-being, 3 cr (open MOOC)
- Introductory Course for Music Professionals in Hospitals and Nursing Homes, 5 cr
Our experts
We work in networks
Through our extensive networks, we work actively with our regional, national and international partners to develop the creative well-being sector.
- Taikusydän Arts & Health Research Network
- Nordic Arts & Health Research Network
- The wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland (Varha) Creative Well-being Interface Working Group (2023–2025)
- Cultural Committee of the Regional Council of Southwest Finland
- Competence Center for Cultural Wellbeing, working group
- Culture and Well-being Pool
- Culture Campus Turku