Researched and drafted by Sinéad Rice and Brina Casey of the National Gallery of Ireland for NEMO’s Working Group LEM, the publication “Art, healing and museums. Exploring museum‑based art psychotherapy practices with a focus on the No Words programme at the National Gallery of Ireland” explores how museums can support mental health and care, with a spotlight on No Words, the Gallery’s pioneering museum‑based art psychotherapy programme.
Initiated as a pilot project in 2023, and as a collaboration between the Gallery’s Education Department, art psychotherapist Andrea Plunkett, and Saoirse, a domestic violence support service, the programme uses museum-based art psychotherapy to engage participants affected by violence, trauma and diverse forms of social marginalisation. The new NEMO publication “Art, healing and museums” traces the programme’s origins, structure and delivery, as well as its evaluation and future direction.
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Designed as a practical and reflective resource for museum and heritage professionals, the publication embraces the evolving nature of this field. It offers insights, encouragement and critical perspectives for those working at the intersection of cultural engagement and mental health and ends with an invitation to collaborate with the National Gallery of Ireland and peers across Europe to build a more inclusive, resilient and socially responsive museum sector.
The publication has been developed in a time where mental health is increasingly recognised as a complex societal challenge requiring coordinated action from governments, institutions and communities. Mindful of their civic role, museums are stepping up by developing inclusive spaces and evidence‑based programmes that contribute to individual and collective wellbeing. “Art, healing and museums” maps this evolving landscape, surveying current research, including the rise of social and cultural prescribing, and positioning museum‑based art psychotherapy as a distinct, developing field.
A core argument brought forward by the publication is that museums do not merely host art psychotherapy; their unique environments actively enhance its impact. Drawing on international examples, the publication shows how the setting, collections and pedagogies of museums can amplify therapeutic mechanisms to the benefit of both participants and institutions.
NEMO’s broader work on wellbeing
The publication aligns 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.
About the Working Group LEM – The Learning Museum
NEMO’s Working Group LEM explores museum education, audience development, intercultural dialogue and lifelong learning. It facilitates exchanges through regular study visits and produces studies and reports that advance professional practice across Europe.
NEMO has five active working groups initiated by NEMO members for NEMO members on topics that they find relevant for the museum sector:
