Art in Healthcare

02/06/2026

This week we are celebrating Volunteers Week 2026! An annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering in their communities.

We held a wellbeing afternoon to thank our wonderful team of volunteers who support the Room For Art workshops - we couldn’t do the work we do without their kindness, compassion and generosity! Artist Kate Temple led us in a mindful afternoon, connecting to nature through ‘bundle dyeing’ and cyanotypes - these experimental art processes use fresh and dried plants to create amazing artworks which form like magic! The wonderful Bridgend Farmhouse provided a beautiful, peaceful setting for our afternoon.

A huge thanks to our volunteers and those across all other organisations!

01/06/2026

We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded £13,300 from the Museum Futures Unlocking Potential Fund!

This funding will cover a two-year licence for our new Beacon CRM system, alongside all the essential setup, implementation, and staff training.

A huge thank you to Museums Galleries Scotland for supporting our growth and helping us unlock our potential!

26/05/2026

There are over 1,500 artworks in our collection, consisting of modern and contemporary pieces dating from the 1930s to the present day. The collection includes artworks by both established and emerging artists, including paintings, prints and photography.

We are proud to have works by many well known artists such as Elizabeth Blackadder, Alan Davie, Eduardo Paolozzi, Barbara Rae and many more.

We have established longstanding and are nurturing new working relationships with NHS Charities nationwide through our artwork loan scheme.

There are many benefits of having artworks on display:

-Improving mood

-Providing interest and distraction

-Reducing anxiety

-Making a space more welcoming for staff and visitors

Currently, over half of our collection is on display in health, social care and community spaces across Scotland, from Balfour Hospital in Orkney to Ayr University Hospital in Ayrshire. We are committed to increasing the number of people who experience our artwork.

We have recently created a new Art Collection Survey to gather feedback for our Artwork Loans. If you have experienced any of our artworks in a health or social care setting, we would love to hear your feedback!

Please visit:

https://forms.office.com/e/xDPKXGwnxt

Images: A selection of works from our collection in healthcare settings.

21/05/2026

Today we are celebrating this year's Creativity and Wellbeing Week theme of ‘Critical Hope’, through highlighting participant stories shared as part of our recent Room For Art exhibition held at Whale Arts. You can view all the stories featured, on the online exhibition via our website https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/2026/04/09/room-for-art-10-for-10/

‘Critical Hope’ is defined through Paulo Friere’s ‘Pedagogy of Hope’ as an active and necessary stance to inequalities, through realistic collective action, rather than passive optimism. Our weekly Room For Art workshops provides for its members a regular space for support, outlet for creative expression and connection with others.

All of our community programmes are underpinned by the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance’s ‘Creative Health Quality Framework’ which defines best practice while supporting people’s health and wellbeing.

A huge thanks to the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance for this years Creativity and Wellbeing Week theme!

20/05/2026

Our Collection Technician Apprentice Mina’s fourteenth ‘Caring for the Collection’ blog post is now live and can be read via the link below 👇

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/2026/05/20/caring-for-the-collection-blog-14-studio-table-gordon-cameron/

This week, Mina writes about Gordon Cameron’s work ‘Studio Table’ which is part of the Art in Healthcare Collection.

Caring for the Collection is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland. Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to dedicate time to improve the condition of our artworks currently in our store, so that they will be able to be displayed in health and social care settings across Scotland.

Museum & Galleries Technician Modern Apprenticeship is supported by Museums Galleries Scotland provider of the apprenticeship, mentor and SCQF level 7.

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland, Caring for the Collection is a project that will focus on Art in Healthcare’s...Find out more

13/05/2026

Our Collection Technician Apprentice Mina’s thirteenth ‘Caring for the Collection’ blog post is now live and can be read via the link below 👇

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/2026/05/13/caring-for-the-collection-blog-13-mirage-ade-adesina/

This week, Mina writes about Ade Adesina’s work ‘Mirage’ which is part of the Art in Healthcare Collection.

Caring for the Collection is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland. Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to dedicate time to improve the condition of our artworks currently in our store, so that they will be able to be displayed in health and social care settings across Scotland.

Museum & Galleries Technician Modern Apprenticeship is supported by Museums Galleries Scotland provider of the apprenticeship, mentor and SCQF level 7.

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland, Caring for the Collection is a project that will focus on Art in Healthcare’s...Find out more

12/05/2026

Thank you to The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland for spotlighting our work this

07/05/2026

Thank you to Iris, Isabel and Sophie who are all running the Edinburgh Half Marathon at the Edinburgh Marathon Festival this month for Art in Healthcare!

Find out more about their stories by visiting:

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/support-us/fundraise-for-us/

30/04/2026

Over the Room For Art Easter Break, our North Edinburgh Arts group held a successful ‘Taster Day’ in which people new to the programme got to try out a range of creative activities led by our wonderful Lead Artist Sally!

People were introduced to different drawing and mark-making exercises to easily create abstract artworks which were then folded up into ‘zines’, historically used to spread information quickly in a creative and engaging way.

We were pleased to onboard some new members to our North Edinburgh Arts group!

North Edinburgh Arts

23/04/2026

Last week our Collection Team visited our friends at the Grampian Hospitals Art Trust. A massive thank you to the amazing Ainize and Jean for hosting us. It was a wonderful day full of shared learning and we loved visiting the current exhibition at the Suttie Arts Space as well as the GHAT art collection store!

To find out more about GHAT and what they do, please visit: https://www.ghat-art.org.uk