ArtsCare 2026: The Art of Social Prescribing

by Lisa Mackay

Interest in social prescribing continues to grow as health systems look for ways to address issues such as loneliness and isolation, and other mental health challenges through community connection rather than clinical treatment alone. Within the arts sector, this growing conversation has prompted new thinking about how creative participation might contribute to broader approaches to wellbeing. 

The Rozsa Foundation has been exploring this idea over the past several years, beginning with the involvement of medical students from the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary in 2024 to research the intersections of heath and arts in Calgary. That work has continued through conversations and collaboration with organizations including CARYA and Healthy Aging Alberta, helping to map both the opportunities and the practical considerations involved in connecting health systems with arts experiences in the community. 

Many of these ideas will be explored further on April 2, 2026, when artists, researchers, and health practitioners gather at Mount Royal University for ArtsCare 2026: The Art of Social Prescribing, the Conservatory’s fourth one-day conference examining how arts-based experiences can support health and wellbeing throughout one's life. The event runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Mount Royal Conservatory, bringing together perspectives from the arts sector, healthcare systems, and community organizations. 

The conference is hosted through the Arts Care Hub at the Mount Royal University Conservatory, an initiative exploring the intersection of arts, music, and healthcare. Founded in 1911, the Conservatory has long provided music and speech arts education for people of all ages. Through the Arts Care Hub, that work is expanding to include programming, research, and training focused on how arts participation can support health and wellbeing.  

“The Arts Care Hub builds on the Conservatory’s long history of community arts education by exploring how creative participation can support health and wellbeing,” says Terry Clark, Director of the Mount Royal University Conservatory.

“Events like ArtsCare 2026," he continues, "bring together artists, researchers, and health practitioners to share knowledge, network, and strengthen this growing field.” 

ArtsCare 2026 sessions explore themes such as client-centred care, embodied health through dance and music, cross-sector partnerships, and policy opportunities shaping social prescribing in Canada. Participants will hear from speakers connected to the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing, Healthy Aging Alberta, the Calgary Adaptive Hub, and Simon Mallett from the Rozsa Foundation, alongside artists and practitioners working directly in communities, including arts-in-health practitioner Belinda Ageda, Taryn Samson of Alberta Ballet, cultural advocate and researcher Eric Awuah, and David Legg, Executive Director of the Calgary Adaptive Hub. 

As in previous ArtsCare gatherings, the conference will begin with a focus on Indigenous pathways to healing, recognizing longstanding cultural practices that connect creativity, community, and wellbeing. The program will also highlight work by Mount Royal University students, and feature Insikim Centre Leadership, Tori McMillan, Director and Dion Simon, Medicine Trail Coordinator. Tori's research centers around Reconciliation, Systems Thinking, and using a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to understand multiple worldviews. 

The day will be facilitated by Neta Spiro, Reader in Performance Science at the Royal College of Music in London, honorary research fellow at Imperial College London, and co-founder of the Musical Care International Network. Her work includes the international HEartS (Health, Economic, and Social impact of the Arts) project, which examines how arts participation affects wellbeing at individual, social, and economic levels. 

For arts organizations, conversations like ArtsCare 2026 highlight how creative participation is increasingly being considered within broader approaches to health and community wellbeing. As interest in social prescribing expands in Canada, these discussions help build the relationships and shared understanding needed to translate ideas into practical programs. 

More information about the conference and registration details can be found through the ArtsCare 2026 event page. Whether you are only now discovering the topic of social prescribing, or you have been working at the intersection of arts and health for years, the symposium is an opportunity to learn from the experts and meet like-minded colleagues and professionals. 

As a reminder, the Rozsa Foundation is inviting the community to send in information about existing arts programs for seniors; for more information, see our most recent blog post.