This in-person learning event is presented by Arts Ottawa, the Ottawa Art Gallery, and the Alliance for Healthier Communities
Social Prescribing: the practice of connecting patients to arts, nature, and community activities as part of their healthcare. This approach is reshaping how we think about the factors contributing to health, healing, an the role of culture in our lives.
This event, which is part learning session and part collaborative collage workshop, evaluates this practice. Bringing together artists and health professionals, we will explore approaches and methodologies to help us better identify the crossover moments between art and health, and build evidence that demonstrates how the impact of on sector can extend into the other.
As part of the session, participants will take part in a collaborative group collage workshop. We welcome donations of a variety of materials, such as magazines, old books, coloured paper scraps, and textiles or fabric remnants. If you'd like to contribute materials, please contact Alex at alex@artsottawa.ca.
# Presenters
Sandra Houle is a registered occupational therapist and holds a PhD in rehabilitation sciences from the University of Ottawa. Her research focuses on exploring the role of community arts participation for social health and well-being using qualitative and visual approaches such as collage. She currently holds a postdoctoral appointment at Western University exploring access and inclusion in arts-based third places.
Natasha Beaudin has worked in the community health sector for over twenty years. She is currently the Social Prescribing Project Lead at the Alliance for Healthier Communities. She previously worked as a health promoter at Centretown Community Health Centre in Ottawa. Her portfolio included food security, smoking cessation, stress reduction, and physical activity and led the social prescribing project at the centre. Her passions are health equity, the social determinants of health, and health promotion. Outside of work, she loves gardening, cross country skiing and playing with her kids.