DK Conference Highlights Culture’s Role in Health and Wellbeing: A Call for Greater Investment in Arts on Prescription

Loneliness Is as Harmful to Health as Smoking

That was one of the key messages highlighted at the Regional/National Transfer Conference on the topic of Arts on Prescription & Social Prescribing, held at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and organised by Odense Kommune and SDU on 24 October 2025. The statement underscored the urgent need for greater investment in initiatives such as Arts on Prescription, which foster social connection and mental wellbeing.

Throughout the conference, three themes became particularly clear:

• Culture is welfare.
• Art can ease pain – even the invisible kind.
• Community promotes health.

The day offered singing, dancing, debate, and inspiring conversations. Participants left uplifted – not only because they experienced the power of art firsthand, but also because they saw how Social Prescribing and Arts on Prescription are gaining traction both nationally and internationally.

Politicians Anne Møllegaard Mortensen, Søren Windell, and Johan Brødsgaard emphasised that Arts on Prescription provides a vital route to meaningful social participation – yet more political support is still needed to recognise culture as an investment in wellbeing.

Professor Anna Paldam Folker, from the Department of Public Health, highlighted the societal value of culture, noting that it can protect against illness and unhealthy habits by strengthening resilience and social engagement.
Associate Professor Rob Dean reminded participants that art can ease suffering – not only among those who are ill, but also among their loved ones.

Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen, Strategic Director at Sangens Hus, and Kristine Heebøll from Fod på Gulv spoke passionately about how music and song can bring joy and a sense of togetherness.

Researchers Carsten Hinrichsen, Isabelle Pascale from SDU, and Stine Arp from Odense Kommune presented positive evaluation results from the Interreg BSR project Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region, while stressing the need for further evidence on the economic benefits of such programmes.

Dr Per Thorgaard, with 25 years of medical experience, reminded the audience that health is not only about curing disease – it is about helping people feel well. He called for today’s doctors to pay greater attention to mental wellbeing, particularly at a time when mental health challenges are increasing globally.

Charlotte Osborn-Forde, CEO of the National Academy for Social Prescribing in England, shared insights on how the UK has successfully scaled up social prescribing nationwide, offering valuable inspiration for others.

Further perspectives were shared by Marta Ciesielska, Imke Seifert, Millie Kealy-Jensen, and Stine Keiding through the project Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region, promoting also the online Arts on Prescription guide launched this year. Their work showed how Arts on Prescription programmes can be adapted to local needs and target groups – including new residents in a municipality. One former participant testified that the programme helped her reconnect with others and rediscover her zest for life.

Finally, Inga Surgunte and Ida-Marie Vorre from Cēsis Municipality, representing the cultural sector, concluded that Arts on Prescription not only supports wellbeing but also benefits the cultural field itself – by engaging new audiences, strengthening practitioners’ skills, and developing more inclusive cultural experiences.

The conference was one of the knowledge transfer events in Denmark in the frame of the project Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region 2023–2025, co-financed by the European Union (ERDF) under the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme.

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