In partnership with
Healing Arts is an unprecedented collaboration in support of a global Covid-19 response through the arts; specifically to address the growing mental health crisis. Healing Arts is produced by CULTURUNNERS in partnership with Christie's as part of the World Health Organization’s Solidarity Series of Events and UN75. The initiative was launched in November 2020 (with the sale of Ahmed Mater's Magnetism installation) in partnership with the World Council of Peoples for the United Nations and the Open Mind Project.
The
Healing Arts initiative incorporates a
series of auctions through December 2021 alongside a program of
educational events covering urgent thematic areas of mental, societal
and environmental health, each through the lens of the supportive power
of the arts.
Alongside
the unprecedented physical impact of COVID-19, the WHO is warning of a
‘mirror pandemic’ with many countries reporting an escalation of mental
health cases resulting from isolation, income reduction, fear of
infection and bereavement. It is estimated that over one million people
died by suicide in 2020, three million by alcohol related deaths and
hundreds of millions have suffered from deepening depression and other
mental disorders. Against this backdrop, the arts have emerged as an
essential part of our mental well-being, with a growing body of evidence
that they bring consolation and healing to people suffering in the
mind.
All proceeds from this initiative will benefit the WHO Foundation, supporting the urgently needed mental health response; and the Artist Response Fund, supporting artist-led projects that directly facilitate community healing and healthcare messaging on the frontline of the pandemic.
Image Credit: Sutapa Biswas, Hospital Rooms commission for Garnet Ward
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