Overview

The role of museums in enhancing well-being and improving health through social intervention is one of the foremost topics of importance in the museums sector today. With an aging population and emerging policies on the social responsibilities of museums, the sector is facing an unprecedented challenge in how to develop services to meet the needs of its communities in a more holistic and inclusive way. This book sets the scene for the future of museums where the health and well-being of communities is top of the agenda. The authors draw together existing research and best practice in the area of museum interventions in health and social care and offer a detailed overview of the multifarious outcomes of such interactions, including benefits and challenges. This timely book will be essential reading for museum professionals, particularly those involved in access and education, students of museums and heritage studies, as well as practitioners of arts in health, art therapists, care and community workers.

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9780815399537

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Reviews

'At last a book which maps the territory of Museums in Health, explores the evidence for a wide range of outcomes and provides a series of illuminating case studies.' Mark O'Neil, former Head of Glasgow Museums, UK 'Museums, Health and Well-Being does a world of good! Firming the lofty claim that museums can heal with evidence, this essential book reveals how and why they do. Linking exemplary museum practice in the UK to the burgeoning Arts in Health movement yields fresh insight and valuable resources. Perhaps most importantly, the authors do not simply laud the present: they delve deeply into critical challenges like measurement, evaluation, and advocacy to chart an inspiring course for the robust development of museums as agents of health. This book is a tonic to invigorate the future of museums as well as healthcare.' Lois H. Silverman, Museum Studies Specialist and Author, The Social Work of Museums 'A ground-breaking manifesto for a new movement linking museums and health, this important work points to the key role of museum collections and heritage sites in promoting well-being.' Constance Classen, Author of The Deepest Sense: A Cultural History of Touch This book could not be more timely. What better asset can there be than the most fundamental of all windows on society - museums. They allow us as individuals and communities to connect with our cultures and it is those very cultures, past and present, that set the context for health in the future. From the Foreword by Richard Parish, Chief Executive, Royal Society for Public Health, UK

Author Information

Helen Chatterjee is Deputy Director of University College London Museums and a Senior Lecturer in Biology in the School of Life and Medical Sciences, UCL. Her book Touch in Museums: Policy and Practice in Object Handling was published in 2008. Guy Noble is the first appointed Arts Curator of the University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He is also a trustee of the London Arts in Health Forum.

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