Dulwich Picture Gallery wins award

Associated media

We reported on the Dulwich Picture Gallery’s ‘Good Times’ programme in our July issue. Now we are delighted that the programme has been awarded an ‘Arts and Health Award 2011’.  The programme has been recognized by the Royal Society of Public Health for Excellence and Innovation.  This comes soon after ‘Good Times’ received a commendation at this year’s Museums & Heritage Awards in the ‘Educational Initiative’ category.

 ‘Good Times: Art for Older People’demonstrates the value of gallery visits and workshops for promoting well-being and tackling social isolation among older people, including those affected by dementia.

The theme of this year’s awards was the contribution of arts, music and cultural organizations to community health and healthcare. The 2010 evaluative report of ‘Good Times’, This is Living, by Professor Sarah Harper of the Oxford Institute of Ageing, also received an award for excellence in research. 

The Royal Society of Public Health received over 40 nominations from across the UK, reflecting the dynamism and creativity of links between arts organizations and the NHS.

Professor Stephen Clift, Chair of the Awards Committee, said: ‘The committee were in full agreement that this project and the evaluation, together with all of the fine work undertaken by the Community Education and Outreach programme, represents a model of what can be achieved through galleries in promoting the health and well-being of local communities, which deserves to be widely disseminated and emulated throughout the UK.’

For further information on the ‘Good Times: Art for Older People’programme at Dulwich Picture Gallery, please contact:

Lou Abbotts, [email protected]