The selected initiatives through the CultureAndHealth Open Call illustrate the increasing power of arts in sustaining well-being and in working with diverse communities. After a thorough selection process of a high number of applications, the carefully selected projects seek to combine artistic quality with social relevance, placing emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and direct involvement of beneficiaries. In this way, the selection entails a number of artistic interventions capable of generating real and long-lasting impact in varied contexts.
The open call was received with high interest: a total of 96 applicants joined the call. We selected 6 projects, 3 in the first category, each project receiving 5000 euros financing, and 3 projects in the second category, each receiving 3000 euros financing. The total budget of the open call was 24.000 euros.
The selected projects propose diverse and sensitive artistic approaches, combining creative research with participatory workshops and collaborative processes. They directly involve children, elderly, patients, relatives, medical staff, and caretakers, while creating spaces for expression, dialog, and reconnection. Through dance, music, visual arts, these initiatives open new ways of understanding the relation between arts and health.
The jury particularly appreciated the artistic quality of the proposals, their relevance to the communities involved, the participatory processes engaging beneficiaries, as well as the projects’ capacity to build long-term relationships between artists and professionals in fields such as healthcare, social work, and psychology.
The selection was carried out by an interdisciplinary jury composed of professionals from the fields of culture and health, with experience in the development, implementation, and research of programs dedicated to arts and health.
Selected projects in the first category (€5,000):
Artist/Collective: Cristina Lilienfeld (artist), Cătălin Munteanu (multidisciplinary artist), and Alexandra Cucu (psychotherapist)
Artistic discipline: Dance
Project: “Tactile kaleidoscope – Somatic interventions in care environments” is a somatic artistic intervention addressed to caregivers of children with chronic conditions hospitalized at Marie Curie Hospital. The project combines somatic, choreographic, and therapeutic methods to create a space for psycho-somatic support, reconnection with one’s own body, and expression through tactile experiences, movement, and creative workshops. The intervention promotes care and dialogue between the cultural and medical fields, generating community resources and sustainable practices for well-being.
Implementation: Marie Curie Hospital, Bucharest
Artist/Collectiv: Beatrice Elena Iordache (artist)
Artistic Discipline: Music
Project: “In the rhythm of emotions: Music therapy for the socio-emotional development of children with special needs” is an active music therapy project dedicated to children with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and other complex developmental and behavioral conditions. Through rhythm, sound, and improvisation, children explore emotions, initiate social contact, and experience cooperation and group belonging. The project combines practical experience and scientific research to support the development of socio-emotional skills, emotional self-regulation, and the creation of a safe artistic space. It also creates learning opportunities for students interested in music therapy, through observation and reflection on artistic interventions.
Implementation: Inclusive Education Center, Cluj-Napoca
Artist/Collective: Petra Carina Stadoleanu (museographer, curator, cultural mediator), Ioana Rusu (visual artist and facilitator), Marian-Mina Mihai (new media artist and technical coordinator)
Artistic discipline: Multidisciplinary
Project: “Visual archives of collective healing” is a visual arts project dedicated to seniors at the Sfânta Parascheva Care Home. The project uses gestural painting, photography, and new technologies to combat isolation and feelings of uselessness, activating emotional memory and offering participants the framework to become authors of a collective installation. The intervention promotes social inclusion, emotional expression, and resilience through art, based on the principles of active aging. The project also proposes interactions with art outside the care home, through guided visits to the Museum of Literature in Iași.
Implementation: Sfânta Parascheva Care Home, Museum of Literature, Iași
Selected projects in the second category (€3,000):
Artist/Collective: Mirela Ivanciu
Artist/Collective: Mirela Ivanciu
Artistic discipline: Textiles and sewing
Project: “Memories, place, and moments of presence” is a community-based artistic project rooted in the practice of hand sewing as a form of attention, reflection, and self-care. Inspired by participatory artistic approaches, the project aims to support women from Sinaia in a fragile socio-economic context, offering them a safe space for connection, expression, and reconnection. Through manual work and storytelling, participants can develop confidence, a sense of belonging, and well-being, while also contributing to the creation of support networks within the community.
Implementation: Sinaia City Museum
Artist/Collective: Maria Brudașcă (artist) and Mădălina Mariaș (gerontological social worker)
Artistic discipline: Visual arts
Project: “Visual arts creation workshops for seniors” is a program for elderly residents of Casa Theodora, aiming to stimulate creativity and personal expression through painting, drawing, collage, and various graphic techniques. The workshops combine learning about modern artistic movements with the creation of individual works, offering participants the opportunity to develop cognitive and motor skills, reduce isolation and loneliness, and increase well-being and self-confidence.
Implementation: Casa Theodora – Residential Care Home for the Elderly, Cluj-Napoca
Artist/Collective: Cristina Bobe (artist) and Ana Maria Onisei (communication specialist)
Artistic discipline: Photography
Project: “Inner images. Photographic practices for well-being” is an artistic intervention that explores photography as a tool for expression, reflection, and dialogue for patients, caregivers, and medical staff. Through an artist residency and participatory photography workshops, the project facilitates the externalization of inner experiences and supports well-being, offering participants the opportunity to observe, create, and reflect on their environment and personal experiences. The results will be documented and integrated into a toolkit of photographic practices for well-being, to be made available to professionals and artists.
Implementation: Căpâlnaș Psychiatric Hospital
The confirmation of participation of the selected projects will take place between 30th of March and 3rd of April, followed by signing the contracts between 6th and 24th of April.
The selected projects will be implemented from 25th of April until 31st of December, 2026 in multiple spaces and communities across Romania.
Culture And Health Platform is a four-year initiative designed to support over 200 emerging European artists working at the intersection of the cultural, health, care, and education sectors. The initiative provides financial support, mobility and networking opportunities, and aims to highlight the vital role of culture in promoting health, well-being, and social innovation in Europe.
The project consortium is coordinated by Culture Action Europe and includes the following members: the Cluj Cultural Centre, European Regional and Local Health Authorities (EUREGHA), Arts for Health Austria, Pôle Culture & Santé en Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Stockholm Region, Competence Centre for Culture and Health, Cavan County Council Arts Office, HumaQ / Healing Culture Network, Stichting Kunstloc Brabant, Asociacija Društvo Nevladnih Organizacij in Posameznikov na Področju Kulture, Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture Secretariat (NDPC), RED NOSES International, Associazione Culturale Oltre, ARC Research & Consultancy, Urban Culture Institute – City of Weaves, Taikusydän – Arts & Health Coordination Centre in Finland, and Turku University of Applied Sciences.
Funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
