English below
Museum Dr. Guislain, Iedereen Leest, TOON en 'Ge durft!' (Hogeschool VIVES) slaan de handen in elkaar voor de derde editie van de internationale conferentie 'Culture & Mental Health' op 26 en 27 november 2026 in Gent, bij Museum Dr. Guislain dat in 2026 haar 40ste verjaardag viert. Het conferentiethema is deze keer 'jeugd'. De conferentie zet dus initiatieven centraal die via cultuur (en lezen) het welzijn van jongeren stimuleren.
Inschrijvingen starten medio 2026. Er loopt momenteel een oproep tot bijdrages. Omwille van de internationale opzet is de voertaal in het Engels. Het programma wordt in de loop van voorjaar 2026 hieronder bekendgemaakt.
International conference 'Culture & Mental Health'
Museum Dr. Guislain, Iedereen Leest, TOON and 'Ge durft!' (Hogeschool VIVES) partner up for the third edition of the international conference Culture & Mental Health on 26 and 27 November 2026 in Ghent, Belgium, with a central focus on youth. The conference explores how culture and art can strengthen the mental health and resilience of young people, and is part of the celebration of 40 years of the Dr. Guislain Museum.
You can enter your contribution in our call for proposals until 15 March 2026.
On this page, we will publish more details about the programme. Prescriptions start around June.
Keynotes
We are thrilled to announce our keynote speakers: Darren McGarvey, Winny Ang, Nuale Morse, Ranjita Dhital, Nils Fietje and Thomas Kador!
Keynote Darren McGarvey
The conference will be opened by Scottish 2018 Orwell Prize-winning, best selling author, musician ('Loki'), social commentator and journalist Darren McGarvey. In Poverty Safary and The Social Distance Between Us he writes powerfully about poverty, systemic inequalities, class, addiction and recovery. In his latest book Trauma Industrial Complex he examines the stories we tell ourselves about our wounds. A provocative and powerful analysis of the commodification of trauma, exploring how narratives of vulnerability have become increasingly monetised and packaged. Darren McGarvey was recently inducted as Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature which deemed his books on social inequality to be of 'outstanding literary merit'.
copyright Michiel Devijver
Winny Ang works as a child and youth psychiatrist in Antwerp. She has a Master’s degree in Transcultural Psychiatry (McGill University, Canada). In addition to her clinical work with culturally diverse clients, Winny is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Antwerp as a teaching assistant and researcher in (diversity) communication. Winny loves cross-overs and has written six children’s books. From her experience as a practitioner and writer she will reflect on the question: why are stories so important for the mental health of young people?
Nuala Morse is an Associate Professor in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester, UK. Her research examines the ‘care work’ of museum professionals, the ethics of care in museum practice, and the role of museums and galleries in public health. This includes exploring the links between cultural participation, health, well-being and recovery, with a focus on stroke, mental health and dementia. Another strand of research is focused on workforce development and organisational change in the museum sector. She is the author of The Museum as a Space of Social Care and a Non-Executive Director of the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance.
Ranjita Dhital is an Associate Professor in Interdisciplinary Health Studies in the Arts and Sciences Department (UASc) and Vice Dean Wellbeing at UCL. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health (FRSPH), a registered pharmacist and a sculptor. Her public health research is informed by creative and participatory methodologies to reduce alcohol harm and promote mental wellbeing in high- in low-income countries. Ranjita has practised as an addiction specialist pharmacist for the NHS, a community pharmacist and worked in public health. She founded and leads the Creative Health Nepal network and the National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) Pharmacy Special Interest Group. She is Editorial Board member for the RSPH journal Perspectives in Public Health and Academic Editor for Global Public Health.
Thomas Kador is Associate Professor in Creative Health at University College London’s (UCL) Arts & Sciences Department, where he leads the Masters (MASc) in Creative Health programme. His research combines interests in cultural and natural heritage, social justice, health and wellbeing, with a particular focus on how cultural heritage spaces and collections can be utilised to support the health of the public. His recent publications included a focus on the role of learning spaces in supporting student wellbeing, exploring non-traditional forms of evidence for refugee histories and a monograph on Object-based Learning (with UCL Press), provides an accessible introduction for learners, educators and researchers to the world of curated collections and how they may be utilised to support learning, intercultural understanding and wellbeing.
Nils Fietje is a Technical Officer within the Behavioural and Cultural Insights (BCI) Unit at the WHO Regional Office for Europe. As part of the BCI Unit, he is leading efforts to understand how cultural contexts affect and interact with health and well-being across the life-course and throughout the continuum of care. This work includes a particular focus on arts and health, having published the first-ever WHO report on the evidence base for arts and health interventions. Additionally, Nils is a co-director of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, a globally leading arts and health think-tank focusing on arts and health research, policy development, engagement, and capacity building.
More information about the conference's programme will be released after the deadline of the call for proposals. Should you have any further questions about the conference, contact curator Bart De Nil.