Waterford Healing Arts Trust is pleased to announce the forthcoming launch of Réalta, the national body for arts and health in Ireland.  Réalta is being established to strengthen the arts and health sector in Ireland and provide a central resource for all those interested and involved in arts and health.  The launch will take place this Friday 3 March at 11am, at the HSE-RCSI Educational Facility, University Hospital Waterford (UHW), with guest speaker Mr Christopher Bailey, Arts and Health Lead at the World Health Organisation (WHO).  Other guest speakers on the day include Prof. Kevin Rafter, Chairperson of the Arts Council, Grace O’Sullivan, MEP and Patron of Waterford Healing Arts and Catherine Drea, Chairperson, Waterford Healing Arts.  Further details are available from 051 842664 / what@hse.ie Réalta will lead the development of the arts and health sector in Ireland through support, promotion and advancement, and the demonstration of excellence in artistic delivery.  Réalta will develop and deliver a range of arts and health training programmes for artists, healthcare professionals and arts and health managers; provide access to information, mentoring and advice; support networking of arts and health practitioners; and engage with the HSE and other policy makers to increase understanding and support of arts and health practice.  Réalta will be based at the Centre for Arts + Health at University Hospital Waterford. Waterford Healing Arts Trust has undertaken the setting up of this national resource organisation in light of its experience, leadership and credibility in arts and health practice in Waterford over the last 30 years, and nationally since 2008.  The establishment of Réalta is based on Waterford Healing...

Experience 2022: An Introduction to Arts, Health and the Older Person, an online learning programme, has been announced by Age & Opportunity, Waterford Healing Arts Trust and Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre. Taking place over three mornings from Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 December, this programme aims to outline the essential elements involved in working with older people in an arts and health context, and will feature presentations by some of the most experienced and inspiring practitioners working in this specialised field of practice. Places are limited to 20 and cost €20.00 each, which covers attendance on all three days. Further details and booking information is available from www.bealtaine.ie/news/ and from arts@ageandopportunity.ie Experience 2022: An Introduction to Arts, Health and the Older Person is funded by the Arts Council and the HSE. This is the second year of Experience, which was devised in 2021 in response to the need for more training and practical orientation for arts practitioners who already have experience of participatory work in a health context, and who are interested in developing their practice to include working with older people. Participants last year described the programme as “inspiring and beneficial”, “uplifting”, “insightful”, “useful”, “important”, “essential”, “enjoyable” and “excellent”, with people highlighting the expertise and passion of the speakers, and the opportunity to interact with fellow artists. In a programme which strives once again to be inspiring and pragmatic, participants will gain an overview of approaches and ways of thinking in this rewarding area of work, practical information and advice for different art forms and disciplines, valuable insight from artists, healthcare professionals and arts and health participants,...

Mapping Arts and Health Across the Midlands is a research report published by the Arts Office of Laois County Council and partner organisations Offaly County Council Arts Office, Westmeath County Council Arts Office, Anam Beo, Helium Arts, Music Generation (Offaly/Westmeath) and Waterford Healing Arts Trust (WHAT). The project was funded under the Arts Council Invitation to Collaboration Scheme. Led by consultant John O’Brien, the research was concerned with mapping a landscape of practice and provision. This involved teasing out a complex ecosystem of people, agencies, resources, policies and understandings in order to answer the key question: ‘how can we collaborate better?’ The question touches on a range of issues from funding sources and business models, through modes of engagement and choice of art forms. The research leads to a better understanding of how the different parts of the ecosystem work together, and how they can be influenced to change the way we work together to create an effective and sustainable arts and health sector across the...