From Pilot to Progress: Cēsis Completes Final Phase of Museum on Prescription

When the Interreg BSR project kicked-off in September 2022, Arts on Prescription and the artistic and cultural activities offered through the Museum on Prescription programme in Cēsis Municipality were entirely unheard of—both in the Cēsis region and across Latvia. Now, after almost two and a half years and three cycles of pilot implementation, the museums of the Cēsis region are becoming an integral part of health promotion and prevention—exploring new areas of activity at the intersection of culture and health.

As one of seven Arts on Prescription pilot programmes in cities and regions across Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia, and Sweden, Cēsis Municipality adapted the generic Arts on Prescription concept to create the Museum on Prescription programme. Three pilot cycles have been carried out, targeting individuals facing mild to moderate mental health challenges—such as those affected by traumatic events, relationship loss, loneliness, depression, burnout, increased stress, or other life difficulties. The programme’s goal is to support participants’ mental health and well-being, increase joy in life, and offer a meaningful break from daily routines. Participants may be referred by medical or social workers to take part in regular, group-based cultural and artistic activities designed to improve psychological well-being.

More than 40 participants joined the pilot programme in Cēsis over the three cycles. Each cycle lasted between 8 and 11 weeks, with participants meeting once or twice a week. The content was developed by the museums of Cēsis Municipality in collaboration with local artists and craftspeople. Participants explored the Cēsis Museum, Cēsis Exhibition Hall, Āraiši Archaeological Museum Park, Kārlis Skalbe’s Memorial Museum Saulrieti, and the Eduards Veidenbaums Museum Kalāči. Sessions included a diverse range of cultural and artistic activities such as excursions, theatre, poetry, music, visual arts, traditional crafts, skill-building, and even a meeting with an actor from the New Riga Theatre. Referring institutions in Cēsis Municipality included CĒSU CLINIC, Cēsis Municipal Social Services, and the Senior Home of the Līgatne Rehabilitation Centre. Self-referral was also available for individuals seeking emotional support through non-medical means.

Watch this video (external link to YouTube) for valuable insight and an overview of the implemented Museum on Prescription programme in Cēsis Municipality: Museum on Prescription in Cesis Municipality

In the third and final pilot cycle, which ran from August to November 2024, participants once again took part in a variety of cultural activities: visiting the Eduards Veidenbaums Museum Kalāči, learning about his life and the Kalāči homestead, churning butter with Inese Roze, exploring Kārlis Skalbe’s Saulrieti, experiencing the dream summerhouse of the King of Fairy Tales, enjoying a heartfelt meeting with Gundars Āboliņš, engaging in theatre play, and sharing many more meaningful experiences.

With the completion of the third pilot cycle, the project now stands at a turning point—shifting its focus towards transferring the programme model and generic concept to other municipalities, and developing long-term action plans and strategies to implement Arts on Prescription as an integral part of national healthcare systems across the Baltic Sea Region.

Inga Surgunte, project manager of the Museum on Prescription programme at Cēsis Municipality, reflects:
“This programme has been a success, meaning that it has really helped the participants to get rid of stress, anxiety, and depression. It has also given a new drive to build friendships, make acquaintances, and take advantage of the opportunities for meeting and participation that the region’s cultural institutions provide.”

Atis Egliņš-Eglītis, Deputy Mayor of Cēsis Municipality, adds:
“The pilot project and activities are having very good results. Our duty is to try to find solutions so that museum visits or cultural activities ‘on prescription’ continue after the project has come to an end. I believe that sooner or later there will be such programmes in Latvia, but as a country, we need to build up certain competence. The Cēsis region already has it [thanks to participation in the Interreg BSR project]. The question is: how can we take this further and also help other municipalities get a grasp of this topic – how other municipalities, other museums, other cultural centres can get engaged in this movement.”

Through the so-called One-on-one twinning, the project partners of the Interreg BSR initiative have already established collaboration and regular exchange with other cities, municipalities, and cultural organisations to support the initiation of their own Arts on Prescription programmes. Cēsis and Saldus Municipality, the second Latvian partner, have joined forces and are in close contact with the twin municipalities of Rēzekne and Kuldīga. They are currently preparing the National Culture and Health Conference, which will take place in Cēsis on 15 October 2025.

The project is also preparing to launch the Arts on Prescription Guide – an online resource including how-to guides, fact sheets, lessons learned, and audiovisual guidance for link workers, project managers, culture and arts facilitators, and decision-makers. The guide will cover various aspects of setting up, monitoring, evaluating, and financing Arts on Prescription programmes. More details coming soon!

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For more information on the Museum on Prescription Programme at Cēsis Municipality visit their website below or contact the regional project manager Inga Surgunte: inga.surgunte@skaidrs.org

Programme Manual Online

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