Happy Birthday!

5 years of ARTS for HEALTH AUSTRIA

Katy Geertsen and Edith Wolf Perez have experienced the impact of dance and art on individual and community wellbeing in their practical work over many years. They are also aware of the transformative process as artists that they have experienced through their work in the community and healthcare sector. 

When the time was ripe to share this knowledge in Austria, they founded the association ARTS for HEALTH AUSTRIA five years ago. association ARTS for HEALTH AUSTRIA for the promotion of art and culture in the context of health and well-being (AfHA). 

What has been intuitively known since prehistoric times is now scientifically proven: The two areas of culture and health are closely linked and have become known as Culture and Health or Arts and Health have developed internationally into an independent cross-sectoral field of practice, making them strong allies in overcoming complex contemporary challenges.

Today we know that cultural engagement is a positive health behavior and promotes our mental balance. Art and culture can play a positive role in both the prevention and management of (psychological, mental and physical) stress and its consequences.

Based on scientific evidence, AfHA has been implementing specific projects since 2020 and has developed into a central networking point in the European canon of the Culture and Health movement.