Abstract

The right to participate in cultural life and enjoy the arts is enshrined in Article 27 of the 1948, Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In a contemporary context, there is an appreciation that the arts and creative activities can support the development and maintenance of good mental health across the life course. Policies in each of the devolved nations recognise the positive role of culture and the arts in the lives of its citizens and the part that it plays in supporting vibrant and creative communities. More recently, arts and creativity as non-pharmacological interventions in the treatment and management of mental health conditions has received considerable attention. The Department of Health and Arts Council England, for example, has highlighted that the arts have an important role to play in the delivery of health care, in promoting social wellbeing and in delivering demonstrable benefits across the life course against a wide range of health priorities. Arguably, older people have been at the vanguard of community arts and crafts through their leadership and participation in the many voluntary organisations, such as the Women’s Institute (WI), which exist at least in part, to support and encourage such activities. However, the involvement of older people in participatory arts in the form of community projects or as interventions in the support, management and treatment of mental or physical health needs has traditionally been less visible.