Barber Health asks: how can we can best support recovery?
Barber Health is the Barber’s flagship programme, supporting research and programmes connecting our audiences to our collection through arts, health and wellbeing. The original aspirations of Barber Health, to “respond to the pressing issues in our community that were foregrounded by Covid” and to “make a difference, even a small difference”, are still as relevant and vital as they were back at the programme’s beginnings and the team continues to support this programme through outreach and community engagement. It is just one way in which the Barber supports our audiences to have meaningful interactions with art and each other.
2020-2021
Thanks to a major grant of £40,000 from the Art Fund’s Respond & Reimagine scheme, the Barber delivered our health and wellbeing initiative throughout 2020-2021. The project built on our previous experience of working in this area, taking it to new levels and areas by using multi-disciplinary professionalism and community engagement. Through Barber Health, our aims are to use our world-class collection to enhance health and wellbeing services and draw on our unique capacity as a public museum within a Russell Group University providing medical training.
Barber Health here consisted of two core themes that holistically work together – a creative arts, health and wellbeing programme for hyperlocal communities which runs alongside innovative cultural contributions to medical education. We’re working with the healthcare professionals of tomorrow at the University of Birmingham, introducing them to using arts in a healthcare setting.
This works between four interconnecting strands of activity:
- Nurse in Residence
- Death and Dying Community Conversations
- Community Outreach
- Social Prescribing Research and Development
2021-2022
Within it’s second year of activity, we saw the development of Barber Health and embedding our work in these areas. This work focussed on:
- Our first Social Prescribing programme of activity
- CPD workshops for Healthcare professionals
- Artist in Residence projects through our Community Outreach
2023 onwards
As we look ahead to 2023–2025 the societal challenges can seem overwhelming. The need in our communities is even greater. We’re committed to applying the original aspirations of Barber Health to 2023 and beyond.
What’s happening around us? What’s needed? What can we contribute? How can we make a difference?
Currented funded through The Bhattacharyya Award and the University of Birmingham, the team continues with our Barber Health activities through:
- University of Birmingham Teaching and Placements: we continue to develop and deliver impactful and innovative placements for UoB College of Medical and Dental Sciences (MDS) students and our Memento Mori: Death and Dying teaching.
- Community Outreach and Social Prescribing: Bespoke projects with hyper local community and healthcare settings. Supporting research and developing into new community focussed programmes at the Barber.
If you would like to know more about our Barber Health programme, please contact the Learning and Engagement team at: learning@barber.org.uk
