Creative Health

Ikon Creative Health explores the dynamic intersections of art, health and wellbeing. Through research, exhibitions and workshops, we work with artists, academics, communities and healthcare partners to explore how art can support health, not just as an intervention, but as a way of understanding, questioning and shaping the conditions we live in.

We collaborate with individuals and community groups across Birmingham and the West Midlands, making space for people to tell their stories, develop new skills and forge social connections. Developed in partnership with communities, hospitals, hospices and prisons, our projects are shaped by artists and communities with lived experience at the core.

“Our collaboration with Ikon has brought forward how artists can be at the forefront of public health policy and practice. Ikon is driving forward Creative Health discourse in Birmingham and is widely championing an art and activist approach to health equity” Rhys Boyer, Senior Public Health Officer and Creative Public Health Lead, Birmingham City Council

What is Creative Health

Creative approaches to, and engagement with, health and wellbeing transforms lives. Our work in this area spans a variety of clinical, social and public health themes, centring lived experience and working in partnership with those most affected by health inequalities.

Working with Artists 

Ikon collaborates with artists and educators who bring unique perspectives to health, care, trauma, belonging and wellbeing. At the gallery and in a variety of community settings, they use a variety of mediums to engage communities and audiences in dialogue around health and wellbeing.

Artists collaborate closely with Regan McDonald, Ikon’s Public Health Research Officer, to develop creative methods of research and evaluation that emphasise collaborative ways of working and shared ownership of research processes and outputs.

Ikon’s Creative Health programme covers a breadth of themes from across the life course.

These include (in)fertility and diversity in infant feeding (Sally Butcher, Feeding Chair & Visible Bodies (2024); people with learning disabilities and/or autistic people stuck in long-stay hospitals (Foka Wolf, Why Are We Stuck in Hospital? (2023); health communication barriers for diasporic communities (Vic Moyosola and Sadie Barnett, (Re)coded (2024); impact of creative activity on the mental health of male prisoners (Niki Gandy, Art at HMP Birmingham (2025); exploring green spaces with adults in receipt of social prescriptions (Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora, Green Spaces (2024); ageing and dying well (Ayesha Jones, Leave A Light In My Room (2023).

Partners 

Our partners include Artscoop Central, Birmingham City Council, Public Health, Birmingham Hospice, Changing Our Lives, HMP Birmingham, In Certain Places, Birmingham Libraries, Jameel Arts & Health Lab, Living Well Consortium, School of Social Policy and Society, University of Birmingham, Stuart Hall Archive Project.

In 2026 Ikon exhibits its portfolio of Creative Health projects with support from Art Fund’s Reimagine grants. Titled What Are The Odds? Ikon Creative Health will take place at the Library of Birmingham, January – June 2026.

The Public Health Research Officer role is a 2.5 year fund from Birmingham City Council Public Health. The public health research officer works closely with the council and equivalent research officers at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham Hippodrome and Midlands Art Centre.