Arts and Health for a balanced life

Art and culture make a significant and joyful contribution to our health and well-being. The salutogenetic effect of art is part of our cultural history. Since the beginning of this century, Arts for Health has become an established term for artistic interventions that promote health and well-being in an integrative way. Arts for Health is a non-clinical, evidence-based intervention that focuses on the participatory, artistic process. Arts for Health does not claim to be of a therapeutic nature. Participants actively act as artists (in the making) and thus step out of being passive patients. Most of the Arts for Health initiatives are led by professional artists and are scientifically accompanied and evaluated.

The aim of ARTS for HEALTH AUSTRIA (AfHA) is to create a connection between art and the public health sector in Austria. AfHA sees itself as an interface between artists, researchers and health care professionals as well as a national and international networking instrument and information point for all those interested in this field.