MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology
Title/ Name: Roadmap for Mental Health (RMH)
Dates: 2022 – Present
Core Museum Activities: Education / Public Programmes / Accessibility / Exhibition Programmes
Can museums be catalyst spaces for health?
MAAT is committed to exploring new territories and functionalities for the museum space, prototyping solutions to fulfill the museum’s role on questioning paradigms, address societal problems, and engage pivotal audiences.
MAAT partnered with Manicómio (https://manicomio.pt/), a Lisbon-based organisation, artstudio, and gallery focused on mental health, to explore and study the role of museums in mental health, contributing to the well-being and autonomy of individuals.
The collaborative design thinking of both teams created the RMH, accompanied by a published manifesto highlighting its relevance and long-term intent, aligning it with MAAT’s mission.
RMH is led through three axes, using an interdisciplinary strategy interweaving health with visual arts and museum architecture:
1. OPEN THERAPY Psychology and psychiatry therapy sessions are held within the museum galleries and gardens. These consultations occur in open, accessible spaces, deconstructing the invisibility of mental health issues. Art, architecture and nature serve as settings rather than subjects, helping to unlock emotional vocabulary and catalyse brain synapses that might be difficult to address in a traditional setting. “Open Therapy” concept was created by Manicómio, which piloted the project in a co-working open space office.
2. MENTAL HEALTH MASTERCLASSES on mental health awareness and well-being for staff, including management, exhibition, front-desk, security, and cleaning personnel. These sessions aimed to promote and encourage open discussions about mental health. Additionally, a masterclass was designed for peers—cultural institutions and museums—to critically discuss and contribute to best practices in the sector.
3. ARTISTIC ACTIONS Artistic actions focused on activism for mental health with Manicómio artists or other artists addressing the topic. These actions can be pop-up installations in museum spaces, exhibition galleries, or performances.
Explain in one sentence why you think the project you nominate is outstanding and could serve as an example for the entire community of modern and contemporary art museums.This programme goes beyond mediation. It is a prototype for new solutions (together with Manicómio) to use art as a catalyst for well-being and health, and for supporting a sustainable future for the entire community (civil, artistic, health professionals).
Explain why this practice or program is relevant and sustainable in creating meaningful and lasting connections with people, communities, and the museum context with a medium to long-term vision.
The programme creates new ways for people to connect and recognise museums as inclusive spaces contributing to societal transformation, well-being, and health. It follows a new thread of museum programming in collaboration with health institutions, such as the World Health Organization - Green, Cultural, and Social Prescribing.
By adjusting practices, measuring and sharing impact results the programme was designed, after a one-year pilot, for a long-term vision. One hundred and one people are currently regularly “subscribers” of The Open Therapy sessions.
Partnerships, bottom-up initiatives*, and non-formatted approaches are key to fostering meaningful and lasting connections with people and communities.
This practice is beneficial for encouraging the museum sector to explore new territories and serve as laboratories for experimentation, risk-taking, and prototyping.
* During the COVID-19 pandemic, MAAT considered how people would emerge from the crisis and how museums could help. Mental health was one of the first topics discussed.
www.maat.pt/en/event/roadmap-mental-health
www.maat.pt/en/event/open-therapy