Arts + Health: Check Up Check In 2023 will take place on Wednesday 25 October in Dublin.  This will be the first time since 2019 that this national gathering of the arts and health sector will be held in person, having taken place online since the onset of COVID.  This year’s event will have a special focus on mental health, and the day will feature presentations by some of the most innovative and creative practitioners working in arts and health today. Arts + Health: Check Up Check In is open to healthcare professionals, arts practitioners and anyone interested in learning more about this exciting field.  The ‘go to’ event for the arts and health sector, Check Up Check In is organised by Réalta, the National Body for Arts + Health in Ireland, which encompasses the national resource website artsandhealth.ie and Waterford Healing Arts, and is funded by the Arts Council and the HSE.  Further details and booking information will follow in due course on www.realta.ie Picture shows artists Caroline Schofield and Jill Bouchier presenting their case study on Open Gallery, an inclusive art viewing project, at Arts and Health: Check Up Check In 2019. Photo by Keith Currams...

Waterford Healing Arts has issued an Open Call to artists of all art forms, including visual artists, musicians, writers and dance artists, to apply to join its Artist Panel.  Artists will be engaged to deliver key Waterford Healing Arts programmes at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and other healthcare settings in Waterford.  Further information, including an application form, are available from Waterford Healing Arts wha@hse.ie 051 842664 or by clicking here  (See also below for Word and PDF formats) The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 28 July at 12 noon.  Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview / audition, as appropriate. Information & Application Form – PDF format Information & Application form- Word format Waterford Healing Arts (WHA) is Ireland’s leading arts and health programme, providing opportunities for patients, family members and staff to engage in high quality arts experiences at UHW and other healthcare settings.  The role of the artist is to deliver inspiring and uplifting arts experiences which are responsive to the needs of patients/ health service users, family members and healthcare staff. Artists selected for the Waterford Healing Arts Artist Panel will be engaged on a freelance basis for a period of two years to deliver key programmes, including, but not limited to: – Arts Programme in Renal Dialysis (artists, musicians, writers, dance artists) – Healing Sounds live music programme (musicians) – Iontas Arts and Mental Health Programme (artists, musicians, writers, dance artists) – Open Gallery inclusive art viewing programme (visual artists) Artists, musicians, writers and dance artists interested in applying should have: – previous experience in delivering participatory/ collaborative arts experiences – excellent interpersonal...

A short film telling the story of Réalta, from its origins in Waterford Healing Arts in 1993 to the present day, was screened at our official launch on 3 March 2023.  Click here to view the film and scroll down to read the story. The Story of Réalta Dr Abdul Bulbulia first suggested the idea of introducing art into Waterford Regional Hospital in the early 1990s. At the time, the role of the arts in the hospital environment was a completely new concept in Ireland, but was already being explored in the UK. With the support of hospital management, Dr Bulbulia, along with Mary Baxter, set up a committee to oversee the commission of the first artwork in the hospital: Quintess-ometry, by Remco de Fouw. This was the first public art commission in an acute hospital in Ireland.  The committee went on to establish Waterford Healing Arts Trust in 1993. Over the following decades, Waterford Healing Arts Trust deepened its roots and expanded its reach, developing the hospital art collection into over 600 artworks today, and growing the participatory programme to include art making, music, creative writing and storytelling.  Through these programmes, with the support of many funders, the team of artists, musicians and staff seek to ‘make now better’: to lift people’s spirits, promote connection, and remind people that beauty still exists, even in difficult times. Meanwhile, from its dedicated Centre for Arts + Health on the campus of what is now University Hospital Waterford, Waterford Healing Arts Trust also began to expand its programme into the national sphere.  This took a significant step forward in 2011, when...

The establishment of Réalta, the National Body for Arts + Health in Ireland, puts Ireland at the forefront of the global arts and health movement, according to Christopher Bailey, Arts and Health Lead at the World Health Organisation.  Mr Bailey was speaking at the official launch by Waterford Healing Arts Trust of Réalta on Friday 3 March 2023 in Waterford.  Other speakers included Prof. Kevin Rafter, Chairperson of the Arts Council, Grace O’Sullivan, MEP and Patron of Waterford Healing Arts, Catherine Drea, Chairperson, Réalta and Claire Meaney, Director of Réalta. The launch was attended by a wide range of stakeholders involved and interested in arts and health in Ireland, including healthcare professionals, artists, participants, arts and health practitioners, funders and policy makers.  Chairperson of Réalta Catherine Drea welcomed guests and thanked all stakeholders, past and present, saying “It takes a village” to create an organisation such as Réalta.  Guests were then shown a video illustrating the development of Réalta, from the original establishment of Waterford Healing Arts Trust in 1993, to the beginning of the organisation’s national programme 15 years ago, the setting up of the resource website artsandhealth.ie in 2011 and the development and launch of Réalta in 2023.  Claire Meaney, Director of Réalta, then outlined Waterford Healing Arts Trust’s work with business planning consultant Ahmad Abu-el-ata in developing a business strategy for Réalta, and with branding agency Totem – based in Dungarvan, County Waterford – to develop the Réalta brand as well as the new logo for Waterford Healing Arts (re-branded from Waterford Healing Arts Trust). Officially launching Réalta, Mr Christopher Bailey, Arts and Health Lead with...

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,...