The two‑day meeting focused on the role of culture in supporting health and wellbeing, with NEMO contributing with insights from its recent work in the field. In her presentation, NEMO Secretary General Julia Pagel highlighted how museums can play a specific and meaningful role in processes of healing.
Drawing on the report’s findings, Pagel explained that museums are particularly well suited to host and facilitate therapeutic practices. As non‑clinical and non‑stigmatising environments, museums can provide safer spaces that support reflection, dialogue and personal engagement.
Moreover, the presentation also emphasised the unique qualities of museums and their collections. Artworks and objects can evoke a form of “collective cultural consciousness,” offering individuals opportunities to explore themes such as memory, identity, resilience and belonging. In this way, museums can contribute to wellbeing by enabling meaningful emotional and cultural connections.
More about the publication
Published in 2025, Art, healing and museums explores the growing role of museums in supporting mental health and care, with a focus on museum‑based art psychotherapy. Developed by Sinéad Rice and Brina Casey (National Gallery of Ireland) for NEMO’s Working Group LEM – The Learning Museum, the report examines the No Words programme, a pioneering initiative engaging participants affected by trauma and marginalisation.
The publication combines research, case study insights and practical reflections, highlighting how museums can act as supportive, non‑clinical environments for therapeutic work. It positions museum‑based art psychotherapy as an emerging field and offers guidance for institutions seeking to integrate wellbeing, inclusion and care into their practice.
NEMO’s broader work on wellbeing
The publication aligned with NEMO’s 2025 annual focus on care, wellbeing and resilience in the museum sector. NEMO’s 2024 European Museum Conference “Can we talk? Museums facing polarisation” underscored the importance of dialogue in fractured societies, while the 2025 conference “Who cares? Museums, wellbeing, and resilience” addressed museums’ responsibilities for care and wellbeing head‑on.
As NEMO’s Secretary General Julia Pagel highlighted in a 2025 special conference episode of The Art Engager Podcast, wellbeing and resilience have been recurring priorities across the network -warranting a “central moment” to bring projects, ideas and open questions together. The 2025 conference gathered 328 participants from 37 countries, culminating in the NEMO Executive Board’s Statement on Museums, mental health and wellbeing, published on 29 October 2025, which underlines museums’ urgent role in promoting mental health and social cohesion across Europe.
