Tipping the iceberg? The state of arts and health in Canada

Abstract

The field of arts and health is rapidly gaining momentum in Canada despite the challenges of integration across a vast geography, two official languages and multiple interdisciplinary cultures. Although the field is young, there is a solid foundation of innovative work and great enthusiasm on the part of diverse practitioners about the field's salience and impact. This article provides an overview of the arts and health in Canada and considers work that spans health policy, healthcare practice, individual and community health promotion, health professional education and arts-based health research. A final section offers reflections and recommendations on arts and health in Canada. We provide an online appendix through the journal's website that refers the interested reader to Canadian programs, resources, networks and other materials on the arts and health.

Keywords:

• arts and health
• healthcare and health promotion
• health policy
• health professional education
• health research

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Anita Kante, Kim Taylor and Linda Vaudan in the preparation of this manuscript.

Notes

^1. The website for the Arts and Health Network Canada also has many items of interest in its “Resources” section. Anyone wishing to add reports on Canadian projects, programs/publications, or those of interest from other countries, is invited to submit them via the contact link on the web site. Notices or updates on arts and health activities and events anywhere in the country are invited.