The CultureAndHealth Platform is a trans-European initiative designed to support emerging artists working at the intersection of culture, health, care, and education.
As part of this platform, the Cluj Cultural Centre launched an open call in February 2024 aimed at individual artists and artist groups based in Romania. The program supports artistic interventions that can have a positive impact on health and well-being in communities, hospitals, care centres, and other relevant contexts.
Following the evaluation of 73 submitted proposals, 6 projects were selected:
- 3 projects received grants of €6,000 each (Category I)
- 3 projects received grants of €2,000 each (Category II)
The total budget allocated for this funding round is €24,000.
The selected projects showcase diverse artistic perspectives, blending creative research with participatory workshops and works created in direct collaboration with teenagers, elderly people, oncology patients, medical staff, and caregivers. Using methods from theatre, visual arts, storytelling, and sound art, these initiatives explore new forms of expression, dialogue, and reconnection.
The jury especially valued the artistic quality of the proposals, the relevance of the participatory processes for the communities involved, and the potential to build lasting relationships between artists and professionals in healthcare, social assistance, and psychology.
The final selection was made by an interdisciplinary jury of professionals from the fields of culture and psychology, with experience in developing, researching, and promoting programs dedicated to art and health.
Winning Projects – Category I
"Griji comunitare", Ioana Țurcan
The Griji Comunitare project aims to create an artistic space for interaction involving the elderly residents of Casa de Seniori Caro, their families, medical staff, and medical students from UMF Cluj. Through workshops in storytelling, sound art, photography, movement, and performative practices, participants will explore new ways of self-expression and connection.
The project team brings together professionals from psychology, the arts, and non-formal education, creating an inclusive environment that merges medical, emotional, and artistic care.
Implementation: Casa de Seniori Caro, Gilău, Cluj County
"Artistul este prezent… Ferestre în Onco Care”, Mihai Guleș and Mihai Ionel
Artistul este prezent… Ferestre în Onco Care is a participatory artistic intervention for oncology patients and their loved ones, carried out at Medisprof Cancer Center. Led by artists Mihai Guleș and Mihai Ionel and supported by a multidisciplinary team, the project offers 10 workshops in painting, sculpture, illustrated poetry, and installation art as spaces for expression and human reconnection.
Art becomes an authentic dialogue with the deeper self and with others – a form of presence, a window into and out of healing.
Implementation: Medisprof Cancer Center (MCC), Cluj-Napoca
"Utopia Grijii", Rucsandra Pop, Iuliana Dumitru, Grațiela Bădescu and Loredana Dumitrescu
Utopia Grijii envisions an ideal scenario of care in spa resorts, exploring how medical treatment and human relationships can contribute to patients’ well-being. Through conversations with patients, medical staff, and hospitality professionals, the project investigates needs related to health and well-being, emphasizing the importance of mutual attention. An immersive performance structured as a game will be created to inspire systemic change and improve the quality of care.
Implementation: Băile Govora, Vâlcea County
Winning Projects – Category II
"Teatru pentru seniori", Anda-Florina Drăgan
The Teatru pentru seniori project aims to bring theatre closer to the community. Through a series of theatre workshops culminating in a staged reading performance based on the personal experiences of participating seniors, the project emphasizes enhancing well-being through theatrical techniques, blending art with everyday life. Anda Drăgan is a theatre director actively involved in cultural interventions, with a focus on social themes, performative installations,and interactive performances.
Implementation: Day Center for Seniors No. 1, Cluj-Napoca
"Portraying the Realities Through ART", Anca Coțovanu
The Portraying the Realities Through ART project explores complex health and well-being issues that affect contemporary society through an artistic lens. The project will result in a ceramic art exhibition reflecting feminine identities and examining the duality between the desire to create life and the reality of facing infertility. This participatory art project encourages awareness, self-exploration, and self-knowledge through art. It is developed by artist Anca Coțovanu in collaboration with psychotherapist Ioana-Monica Ciolan.
Implementation: Artist’s studio, Iași
"Puterea terapeutică a creației colective din teatru", Maria Comârlău și Ana Călinescu
Puterea terapeutică a creației colective din teatru – Maria Comârlău and Ana Călinescu
Through the project The Therapeutic Power of Collective Theatre Creation, emerging artist Maria Comârlău and architect Ana Călinescu aim to design a laboratory-like space using techniques from devised theatre and art as therapy. This space will stimulate creativity and self-confidence in children, leading to the collaborative development of a work-in-progress performative reading. Through this collaborative process, participants not only nurture their imagination but also learn to express emotions and ideas in a safe and inspiring environment.
Implementation site: Preventorium Deleni, Iași County
The selected projects will be implemented between May 1 and December 31, 2025, across various spaces and communities throughout the country.
The CultureAndHealth Platform is a multi-year European initiative aimed at supporting over 200 emerging artistsworking at the intersection of culture, health, care, and education. The platform provides funding, mobility, and professional networking opportunities, while promoting the essential role of art in health and social well-being.
The project is coordinated by Culture Action Europe and brings together organizations from across Europe, including the Cluj Cultural Centre, along with partners from Austria, France, Sweden, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, Slovenia, Poland, Germany, and Slovenia. The Cluj Cultural Centre coordinates the Platform’s activities in Romania and organizes annual open calls and training sessions focused on art, health, and well-being practices from 2025 to 2028
