Scottish Ballet and the Jameel Arts & Health Lab announce national campaign with global reach in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), which will launch as part of the Edinburgh International Festival 2024.

Healing Arts Scotland 2024 is a country-wide week-long activation celebrating and advocating for improved physical, mental and social health through the arts. Spearheaded by Scottish Ballet as part of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab’s global ‘Healing Arts’ campaign in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, the one-week activation event will be produced together with a national coalition of organisations across culture, science, health, education and government.

The initiative will launch on 19th August 2024 as part of the Edinburgh International Festival and will include celebratory performances, exhibitions, public art programmes, workshops, dialogues, media partnerships and a high-profile policy moment.

Alongside Scottish Ballet and the Edinburgh International Festival, the partners helping to shape the week include Luminate, Health and Social Care Alliance (ALLIANCE), Intercultural Youth Scotland, Scottish Opera, Sistema Scotland, National Galleries of Scotland, International Teaching Artists Collaborative, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Imaginate, Indepen-dance, Mental Health Foundation Scotland, Tonic Arts., The University of Edinburgh, Arts Culture Health & Wellbeing Scotland. Other organisations and groups are now invited to join Healing Arts Scotland by registering their proposed activity, project or event in November 2023. Sign-up will be facilitated via an online portal.

Many cities around the world have taken part in our series of Healing Arts activations, but I am excited to see Scotland taking a truly national approach. Scotland’s unique sense of community, its embrace of all art forms, and its commitment to health for all promise to be an exciting combination. I can’t wait to participate and see what the communities come up with.

Christopher Bailey, WHO Arts & Health Lead

Healing Arts Scotland 2024 will be an inspirational week-long celebration of the huge impact the arts has on the nation’s health and well-being. Scottish Ballet is proud to be leading on this global outreach project in collaboration with the WHO and a host of partner organisations throughout Scotland.

Christopher Hampson, Scottish Ballet CEO/Artistic Director

The Edinburgh International Festival is proud to be part of the first ever nationwide Healing Arts campaign in Scotland. This is an important dialogue to help address health inequalities across the country and we look forward to facilitating those conversations throughout August.

Francesca Hegyi, EIF CEO