AWAKE Final Event 2025 – Arts, Culture, Health and Entrepreneurship | October 2, Helsinki & Online

Are you an artist seeking opportunities in the field of health and wellbeing, or a forward-thinking health institution looking to collaborate with creative experts on challenges that traditional approaches cannot solve?

If the answer is yes, you should attend the AWAKE Final Event on October 2, 2025, at Lapinlahden Lähde in Helsinki. Online participation will be available for those unable to travel (morning sessions only).

Register here: https://forms.gle/Xfu1CgWDT6HH3Uqg6?

Practical information

Location: Lapinlahden Lähde, Helsinki
Date: October 2, 2025
Time:

• Sessions: 9:30 – 12:35

• Workshops (onsite only): 13:50 – 15:00 / 15:20 – 16:20

• Closing: 16:20 – 16:40

Who can participate? AWAKE targets a wide range of profiles—both experienced and emerging arts and wellbeing practitioners, health sector professionals, and multipliers such as policymakers, organisations, and experts.

Language: English

Registration: Click here to register

@Collectif Tutti, BB – Photos by M.G Costa

About the event

The event will conclude AWAKE’s two-year journey in arts and wellbeing with practical workshops, case studies, and discussions. It serves as a guide for artists and cultural professionals interested in this growing intersection.

The project’s aim has been to equip more people with effective models and peer insights for building a stable livelihood in the arts and wellbeing. This helps artists focus on their practice, allows wider audiences to benefit from their work, and drives social innovation by introducing new approaches to public health through artistic experimentation.

The event is also an opportunity to catch up on key insights, even if you have not been part of the project so far. It offers panel discussions, funding and collaboration models, and real-life examples—most importantly, it provides a space to gain valuable guidance and connect with peers.

@JennaPysto & MiinaSavolainen, 2000 – from The Loveliest girl in the world

Who and what is on the agenda?

Opening and Introduction to the AWAKE Project and Event Agenda

Casebook Launch: Growing a Viable Entrepreneurial Model at the Intersection of Arts and Wellbeing
Insights from five cases, presented by Annabelle Türkis, co-author.

• Former communications and development director at Palais de Tokyo and Centre Pompidou-Metz

• Freelance cultural strategy consultant with 17 years of experience in leadership roles

• Specialises in ecological and social transition, culture and ageing, Creative Europe applications, and innovation through Design Thinking and collective intelligence

Keynote: Resourcing Arts and Health: Funding and Cooperation for Wellbeing Initiatives
By Katri Leppisaari and Kati Nuora, Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike)

Katri Leppisaari

• Special Advisor at the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, specialising in cultural wellbeing, inclusion, and cross-sectoral cooperation
• Currently accomplishing doctoral studies at the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy in the University of Jyväskylä, concentrating on the presentation of the concept of Cultural Wellbeing (kulttuurihyvinvointi) in Finnish policy documents and studies.
• Will share insights on funding, cooperation, and the integration of arts into health and well-being initiatives

@Katri Leppisaari

Kati Nuora

• Special Advisor on the Creative Economy at the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, focusing on funding, entrepreneurship, and ecosystem cooperation across the creative industries
• Brings extensive experience in entrepreneurship, consultancy, and development, advancing financing opportunities and international market access
• Has long experience in cross-sectoral cooperation and promoting sustainability transitions in the creative economy
• Will share insights on strengthening creative sector funding, entrepreneurship, and collaborative networks

@KatiNuora

Keynote: Artist-Led Arts & Health Organisations
By Dawn Prescott, Director of Lime Arts (Manchester, UK)

• Director of Lime, a multi award-winning Arts and Health organisation with a 50-year history

• Leads projects recognised internationally for excellence in hospital and community arts, reaching over 25,000 staff, patients, and visitors each year

• Will share the history of Arts for Health at Manchester Hospitals and her journey from visual artist to sector leader

@DawnPrescott

Conversation: How to Develop Resilient and Sustainable Businesses in Arts and Health
With Miina Savolainen, interviewed by Clara Bourgeois

• Inventor of the Empowering Photography method

• Leader of major child welfare and arts projects, trainer of over 3,000 professionals in therapy, community art, and organisational development

• Recipient of the State Prize for Children’s Culture, Young Photographer of the Year, and University of Helsinki Kristiina Award

@MiinaSavolainen – picture by Anne Hämäläinen and Yle Kuvapalvelu

Panel Discussion moderated by Ville Pellinen, CEO of Lapinlahden Lähde Oy
With Bruno Gallice, Olga Kizina, Miina Savolainen, and Sandra Abreu

• Bruno Gallice – Cultural and Territorial Action Advisor at DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (France), overseeing Culture & Health programmes.

@BrunoGallice

• Olga Kizina – Lead Expert at Creative Business Network, consultant with 15 years of experience supporting creative entrepreneurs

@OlgaKizina

• Sandra Abreu – Artist and art therapist, founder of Lilomino, with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of art, care, and education

@SandraAbreu

Parallel workshops

From Vision to Value: How to Build a Sustainable Business Model for Your Art & Wellbeing Practice
By Olga Kizina

• A hands-on session to explore value creation, partnerships, and financial strategies

• Business modelling approached as a generative, creative process rather than a fixed framework

Future Entrepreneurial Skills in Arts & Health Settings
By Jennifer Ramirez

• Communications specialist at Lapinlahden Lähde and Pro Lapinlahti Mielenterveyseura, co-founder of Uudly.com

• Helps entrepreneurs and organisations strengthen communications and discover their voice

@JenniferRamirez

How to Measure the Social Impact of Arts and Wellbeing Projects
By Clara Bourgeois

• Director of the Culture & Health Center in New Aquitaine, with over 10 years in social innovation and solidarity economy

• The workshop covers definitions, resources, and methods for impact evaluation in culture & health projects—what to assess, what not to assess, and why

@ClaraBourgeois

About the project

Spanning over the course of two years, the project “AWAKE: Arts & Wellbeing as a Creative Business and Future Livelihood” have been exploring how arts and wellbeing can form a viable, sustainable field of work. AWAKE identifies entry points for artists to collaborate with the health sector and supports professionalisation through practical learning.

Key activities include:

• April 2024: An expert roundtable discussion on arts, wellbeing, and creative livelihoods

• Five online masterclasses (with resources freely available)

• March 2025: A published casebook profiling five successful arts and wellbeing ventures across Europe

• May 2025: An online hackathon with 50+ creatives co-developing solutions in culture and wellbeing

Organizers and funding: AWAKE is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and implemented by the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (NDPC) in partnership with Lapinlahden Lähde (Finland), Cluj Cultural Centre (Romania), and the Culture & Health Center in New Aquitaine (France).

In case of any questions, please contact the NDPC at info@ndpculture.org