Healing Arts Barcelona
Healing Arts Barcelona is Spain's first regional Healing Arts campaign launching from 20-26 October 2025, activating Catalonia's arts and culture ecosystem within its public health systems.
The initiative is a collaboration between:- Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
- معمل جميل للفنون والصحة
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Key highlights
Under the guiding theme "The arts take care of us - culture is health", Healing Arts Barcelona will include hundreds of events and projects across Catalonia.
The week-long programme spans the intersection of art, science and policy.
Activities will include:
- An international symposium
- High-profile keynotes
- Workshops
- Concerts
- Screenings
- Policy roundtables
- Community interventions
- Artistic experiences in museums, healthcare facilities, universities and other venues.
The programme will also feature dedicated, decentralised events in regional hubs such as Baix Llobregat, Lleida, Sitges, Granollers and Vic.
A global movement
This event is a part of the global Healing Arts movement, which has launched previous activations in Venice, London, New York, Basel, Jaipur, Houston, Atlanta, and Scotland, in collaboration with both local and world-leading cultural and scientific institutions.
This marks the first edition of the global Healing Arts campaign in Spain and will engage the full Catalan arts and health ecosystem.
The project is supported by the Departments of Culture and Health of the Government of Catalonia.
The Jameel Arts & Health Lab, launched in January 2023 by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, the Steinhardt School at New York University, Community Jameel, and Culturunners, is a global initiative dedicated to measurably improving health and well-being through the arts. It focuses on overlooked and underserved communities, leveraging scientific evidence, artist-led advocacy, and capacity building to drive the integration of the arts into mainstream healthcare.
Mapping the arts in health ecosystem
Healing Arts Barcelona aims to drive systemic transformation by integrating cultural and artistic practices into health promotion, disease prevention and community care.
Through this initiative, the MNAC aims to expand the arts and culture’s impact on society.
A comprehensive mapping of the arts in health ecosystem in Catalonia will be carried out by researchers from the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, New York University, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Vic.
The study will systematically document and analyse existing initiatives and stakeholders to create an evidence base that supports the long-term integration of the arts into Catalonia's health and care systems.
Healing Arts Barcelona reflects our commitment to expanding the museum's role as a cultural, social, and health-leading agent of change.