NEMO Working Group explores health and wellbeing initiatives in Belgian museums

Sharing practices: Health & well-being in museums across Europe

On the second day, LEM participants shared short presentations with over 20 local museum educators in Brussels, showcasing both good practices and ongoing challenges in the field:

• North Macedonia: Irena Ruzin (Bitola) shared inclusive programming involving children and adults with disabilities, emphasising co-creation and the museum as a safe, social space.
• Latvia: Zane Grīnvalde (Latvian Museums Association) introduced examples of how museums are using collections to explore mental health issues and improve staff wellbeing.
• Serbia: Milena Milošević Micić (Knjaževac) discussed museums as healing spaces rooted in community identity.
  Goran Vujkov (Gallery of Matica srpska) presented “Culture on Prescription”, an art-therapy-based program developed in partnership with health institutions.
• Ireland: Brina Casey and Sinéad Rice (National Gallery of Ireland) described a pioneering Cultural Arts Therapy programme integrating psychotherapy into the museum environment, now in its third year and supported by a resident art therapist.
• Albania: Dorina Xheraj-Subashi highlighted the uneven landscape of mental health programming in museums, sharing case studies and calling for more structured collaboration with health professionals

Closing

The study visit concluded with a reflective visit to the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM), rounding up two days of rich dialogue, collaboration, and learning. Through this engaging exchange, participants reaffirmed the vital role museums can play in fostering wellbeing, and left Brussels with new insights and international connections to carry forward into their own institutions. The study visit also highlighted the importance of the LEM Working Group and NEMO’s wider network as platforms for knowledge-sharing, mutual learning, and cross-border collaboration. We look forward to deepening this important conversation at NEMO’s Annual Conference 'Who cares? Museums, wellbeing, and resilience', taking place from 26-28 October 2025. In Horsens, Denmark, the theme of health and wellbeing in museums will continue to be explored and expanded upon.

NEMO’s Working Groups

NEMO’s Working Groups provide an opportunity for members of NEMO to get connected, learn and share experiences through organised study visits and events. The groups also inform the wider museum sector by publishing studies, recommendations and reports. At the moment NEMO has three active Working Groups:

• Working Group Digital Transformation
• Working Group LEM - the Learning Museum
• Working Group Sustainability and Climate Action