Artistic Strategies in Psychiatry

Mental health care is becoming an increasingly important topic nowadays with more and more people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia and the rise of stress-related illnesses such as burnout and depression. However, psychiatric illnesses are still stigmatized by society, not least because of the problematic history of psychiatric care. Mental health care and psychiatry have adopted these challenges and found a new understanding that includes an interdisciplinary approach serving the well-being of affected persons. Innovative artistic strategies play a vital part in this development as they can react to these issues creatively and initiate processes that help to reshape the perception of psychiatry in society. The Van Abbemuseum and the GGzE (Mental Health Care Institute Eindhoven) invite national and international artists or artist groups working in the fields of socially engaged art, community art, participatory art, art & science, social design or other related fields to apply for the Artist in Residence Programme “Artistic Strategies in Psychiatry”. During the two months residency on site at the GGzE, the artists are asked to develop and realize site specific projects of high artistic quality and innovative approaches that have a concrete, positive and lasting impact which relate to one or more of the following objectives:· reducing prejudices in society against mental health care and psychiatric illnesses· dealing with specific needs and problems of clients, ex-clients, their relatives or friends· enhancing the inclusion of clients or ex-clients in society· improving the living conditions and environment of clients or ex-clients· improving the working conditions and environment at the GGzE· making a concrete, positive and lasting impact on the institution, its clients or staffThe invited artists will be provided a studio to work on site at GGzE in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Mental Health Care Institution, its clients and staff. They should envisage a close cooperation with the GGzE and the Van Abbemuseum as well as with local or national institutions, organizations, communities and individuals which are concerned with issues according to the submitted projects. The jury consists of Annie Fletcher (Chief Curator, Van Abbemuseum), Wilma Wilgenhof (Audit Manager, GGzE) and Henri Snel (Alzheimer Architecture/ Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam). The Artist in Residence Programme “Artistic Strategies in Psychiatry” was initiated and designed by the artist group WochenKlausur (www.wochenklausur.at) on invitation by the Van Abbemuseum. It is the final stage of their participation as “artists in residence” in the Museum of Arte Útil