Art and culture for well-being – Culture and Health Forum brings international experts and artists to Turku

The Turku University of Applied Sciences Arts Academy and the national cultural wellbeing contact point Taikusydän organise the international Culture and Health Forum event in Turku on 29-30 September 2025.

The two-day event will bring together artists, experts and researchers working at the interface of culture, health and well-being. The diverse programme will highlight the many ways in which the arts can contribute to health promotion and disease management.

The Culture and Health Forum programme will feature prominent international experts. The keynote speaker for the main event will be Professor Christina Davies, Director of the Centre for Arts, Mental Health and Wellbeing at the University of Western Australia. Davies has organised the successful Good Arts, Good Mental Health® campaign in her home country, which claims that two hours of art a week is proven to increase mental wellbeing.

Concerns about mental health, especially among young people, are shared across the board. The panel discussion will provide examples of the potential of arts activities to support young people’s mental health. Participants include Maru Hietala, project manager of the Children and Youth Foundation and activist, Elina Rantanen, deputy mayor of Turku, and lecturers Satu Haapalainen and Anna Jussilainen from Turku University of Applied Sciences.

According to a recent policy analysis by the Ministry of Education and Culture, cultural well-being is becoming an established part of Finnish welfare policy. The importance of culture is particularly recognised in health promotion, prevention and strengthening inclusion.

– Cultural well-being is an international phenomenon. We have a lot to learn from our international partners. In the artists’ projects supported by the Culture and Health Forum, cooperation with health and social professionals and organisations is key. Artists work together with occupational therapists, nurses, doctors and NGOs,” says Anna-Mari Rosenlöf , event coordinator and specialist at Turku University of Applied Sciences.

The event is part of the four-year European CultureAndHealth Platform (2024-2028), which supports over 200 artists working in the field of cultural well-being.

For more information on the event schedule and speakers: https://www.turkuamk.fi/en/event/culture-and-health-forum/