“Bonds of Care” in Vilnius – what makes arts & health collaboration possible?
How can we sustain the people, partnerships, and practices that make arts and health collaborations possible?
This question brought us to Vilnius on 4–5 June, where we co-organised Bonds of Care: Rethinking Labour in Arts & Health together with the Vilnius-based Mental Health Arts Festival RYŠIAI as part of the CARE – Culture for Mental Health project.
Over two days at the Contemporary Art Centre, we welcomed artists, cultural workers, researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers and community practitioners from across Europe.
The programme combined policy discussions, case studies, workshops and artistic performances. We discussed the newly launched EU report Culture and Health. Time to Act., explored practical examples from museums, theatres and communities, and reflected on topics such as trauma-informed practice, burnout, cultural workers’ rights and self-care.
One message emerged clearly throughout the conference: pilot projects alone are not enough. For arts and health initiatives to thrive, they need long-term investment, fair working conditions and stronger partnerships between the cultural, health and social sectors.
Moreover, throughout the two-day programme, Bonds of Care combined lived experience, workshops, and artistic expression to explore the many dimensions of care labour. These are questions that are rarely discussed openly:
- Who cares for those who care for others?
- How do artists and cultural workers prevent burnout?
- What support is needed when working with vulnerable communities?
Together, these presentations, workshops, and performances highlighted a key message of the conference: supporting mental health through arts and culture also means supporting the people who make this work possible.
Mark your calendars: What is next?
The conversations started in Vilnius – but it does not end there! The theme of care as a shared effort continues to shape the work of both CARE and the Mental Health Arts Festival RYŠIAI.
Mark your calendars for:
- CARE- Culture for Mental Health Hub in Riga, taking place from 14–16 October 2026, and co-organized by us. As part of the CARE Mobile Hub programme, the event will bring together artists, cultural professionals, researchers, policymakers, and health practitioners to exchange knowledge and strengthen cross-sector collaboration, with a focus on the Latvian and Baltic States context.
- The dialogue will also continue through the next edition of the RYŠIAI Mental Health Arts Festival, happening in Vilnius in the Fall of 2026. We will further explore the relationship between labour and health, challenging traditional ideas of productivity and encouraging new ways of thinking about care and solidarity.
To conclude, we wish to warmly thank you to all participants, presenters, performers, and organizers. Over two days, we explored what makes care possible, what sustains collaboration across sectors, and how we can better recognise the often invisible labour behind arts and health work.
We hope you left inspired by the ideas exchanged and the people you met – your openness, curiosity, and willingness to share experiences made these conversations meaningful.