Culture certainly has healing properties. This was discussed by qualified professionals during the 15th Culture Next conference held in Bielsko Biala, the Polish capital of culture in 2026, which has been working on these issues for several years, including in its bid book. Three very intense days were dedicated to this theme, not only through the public conference, but also through practical activities such as musical performances, nature immersion, dancing, photographic walks and so on.
In particular, during the day, attempts were made to answer the following questions: How can we engage new audiences through culture to promote wellbeing? How can we raise public awareness of the role of art and culture in supporting individual and community wellbeing?

We interviewed Rafal Sakowsk– CEO – City of Weaves – Urban Culture Institute in Bielsko Biala about the reasons behind organising this event here.

The conference opened with one of the leading experts on the effects of culture and art on personal wellbeing: Professor Christina Davies.

Professor Christina Davies has over 20 years of experience in the field of art and mental health, combining research and practice. She is the director of the Centre for Art, Mental Health and Wellbeing in Western Australia, and her award-winning studies focus on how cultural participation improves wellbeing. She launched Good Arts, Good Mental Health®️, a pioneering public campaign that promotes the arts as a form of mental health promotion at the population level, a model that can be adapted internationally.

‘Good Arts, Good Mental Health,’ explained Davies, ‘is the translation of award-winning research into an initiative to improve mental wellbeing through artistic engagement. The initiative was developed with over 3,000 community members, a research team from seven world-leading universities and 31 government, industry and philanthropic partners.’

In the following panel discussion, ‘What is wellbeing for us?’, led by Rafaela Neiva-Ganga with contributions from Moa Bjørnson, Sara Vuletic, Paweł Dybała and Darren Abrahams, participants shared how culture influences our understanding of wellbeing.

Drawing on her academic background and research, Rafaela highlighted the complexity of the topic. Together, the speakers opened up a multidimensional conversation on wellbeing through cultural and social perspectives.

Ecocnews interviewed Darren Abrahams, singer, workshop leader and performing artist, here.

The final panel presented a number of experiences and best practices. Studies from the Anglo-Saxon world on the effects of culture and art on people's health are well known internationally.

Creative wellbeing is a field of growing interest to which the biomedical and social sciences have made uneven contributions. The instrumental value of culture and the resulting public investment are based on the interaction of social, cultural and economic capital to achieve and preserve wellbeing and health and promote social mobility. Current scientific evidence concerns the effectiveness of artistic interventions in improving diseases.

This article s a rapid review and synthesis of the evidence that aims to answer the question: “What is the social value of place-based arts and cultural interventions at the individual (well-being) and community (social inequalities) levels in the UK and Europe?”. After a systematic search of five databases, search engines and a call for evidence in August 2022, 14 sources out of 974 met the inclusion criteria. The studies were organised into three themes (Community, Events, Museums) and the results were analysed considering the indicators and dimensions of wellbeing (Office for National Statistics).

The review highlighted that creative wellbeing leads to improvements in wellbeing outcomes and can help alleviate the social determinants of health. However, caution is needed when considering their impact on the underlying causes of structural social inequalities. The experience of Leeds, for example, already the capital of culture in 2023, is very advanced, having built a real network for health and wellbeing.

In the second part of the report, we will see what is happening in some European capitals of culture in relation to the relationship between culture and wellbeing.

- End of part 1 -