The National Gallery Singapore has made history by becoming the first museum in the world to be recognised as a Healing Arts Centre of Excellence. This title was awarded by the Jameel Arts and Health Lab, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), in recognition of the gallery’s significant efforts in utilizing arts to support public health and wellbeing.
This accreditation places the gallery alongside major cultural institutions such as Carnegie Hall in New York and the Scottish Ballet. The selection was based on several criteria, including having a dedicated team and long-term commitment to serving underserved communities.
Programmes Supporting Accessibility and Wellbeing
One of the gallery’s well-known programs is Slow Art, which encourages visitors to slow down and engage mindfully with artworks. The museum also provides tactile collections and guided tours specially created for blind and low-vision visitors. In addition, there are programmes designed for persons living with dementia and their caregivers.
The gallery also offers a calm room built for neurodivergent visitors. The room is equipped with sensory-friendly features such as adjustable lights with soothing colours, weighted blankets, and a quiet space where visitors can take a break and regulate their emotions during their visit.
These inclusive programmes played a major role in the gallery’s selection as a centre of excellence. Dr Stephen Stapleton, founding co-director of the Jameel Arts and Health Lab, said the gallery will be supported to develop a long-term roadmap and plan for leadership in both local and regional arts-and-health work.
Bringing Wellbeing Into Community Spaces
The National Gallery shared that it aims to promote museums as partners in public health and will continue expanding community wellbeing programmes. One example is a recent pilot with eldercare provider All Saints Home, which ran from August to October this year.
The 10-week collaboration, adapted from the gallery’s Art with You programme, trained staff and volunteers to guide residents living with dementia through curated artworks from the gallery. According to Ms Alicia Teng, deputy director of the Community and Access team, the response has been positive. She added that there is potential for more partnerships to reach different community needs in comfortable and familiar environments.
Research-Backed Approach to Arts and Health
Dr Nisha Sajnani, another founding co-director of the Jameel Arts and Health Lab, said that she was impressed by how seriously the gallery treats wellbeing as part of its core mission. She pointed to a 2019 WHO review of more than 3,000 studies, which found strong links between artistic activities and positive health outcomes such as reduced stress, healthier habits, better social connections, and lower risks of anxiety and depression.
She also highlighted that creative arts therapies, including art, drama, and music therapy, show measurable benefits in areas like pain management, rehabilitation, maternal wellbeing, and chronic illnesses.
Expanding the Arts-and-Health Ecosystem
Local institutions such as the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory’s Centre for Music and Health and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts are also working with the Jameel Arts and Health Lab. Their focus includes high-quality research that can support policy development, training for practitioners, and co-designed pilot programmes in hospitals, cultural spaces, and community settings.
Some of these pilot projects may later be adapted or expanded across the region based on community needs. As Dr Sajnani explained, “Sometimes the best approach is taking something that is working in one integrated care centre and bringing it to the rest.”
