Healing Arts Lviv

Bringing together art and health, Healing Arts Lviv took over the city from July 20 to 27, 2025.

The week-long event brought together artists, educators, activists, healthcare and social workers, government officials, and representatives of international organizations around the theme of art as a tool for healing.

The program featured a School on Trauma-Informed Arts Practices, a Congress of Arts and Health Initiatives, and a showcase of artistic projects created between 2022 and 2025 that reflect on and transform experiences of trauma.

The event aimed to explore both international and Ukrainian experiences in the field of arts and health, and to lay the groundwork for systemic support of the Arts and Health sector in Ukraine — through education, networking, and practical initiatives.

School on Trauma-Informed Art Practices – July 20-24

The five-day School on Trauma-Informed Arts Practices took place at the Home of Sound (LME Lviv Radio). Each day offered six hours of immersive learning — combining lectures, hands-on workshops, discussions, and group work. The program brought together 35 participants, including artists, psychologists, and members of the army unit Ukrainian Cultural Forces.

Together, we explored what trauma is, what a trauma-informed approach means, and why it matters. We reflected on our own practices, navigating their challenges, risks, and rewards. We spoke about leadership, building safe spaces, and reconnecting the body and mind through movement. We delved into commemoration and the role of art in transforming traumatic experience, looked at how trauma-informed projects take shape in practice, and learned from Ukrainian-led initiatives.

The lecturers included Henry Redwood, Darren Abrahams, Veronika Skliarova, Christopher Bailey (online), Anastasia Portnova, Khrystyna Rutar, Tina Ellen Lee, Olga Hovorukha, Oksana Pyzik, Rebecca Duclos, Oksana Potapova, Uliana Furiv, and Angela Kennedy (online).

Congress of Arts and Health Initiatives – July 24-26

The three-day Congress brought together 50 participants, including representatives of governmental and international institutions, professionals from the healthcare, education, and cultural sectors, artists, psychologists, military personnel, and veterans.

The program combined networking, mapping, group work, facilitated discussions, and presentations of practices at the intersection of art and health. Its goal was to connect participants, gather and systematize existing research, practices, and policies in the field of Arts & Health in Ukraine, as well as to explore challenges, opportunities, and pathways for integrating art into Ukraine’s healthcare system.

Showcase – July 23-27

From July 24 to 26, the Showcase of Artistic Projects took place, highlighting the important role of art and culture in supporting physical, mental, and social well-being.

The program featured public lectures by Vasyl Kmet (Lviv Municipal Library) and Myroslava Dzis (Lviv Municipal Art Center); staged readings of plays created by servicemen currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Unbroken Center (including “Alone” by Mykhailo Fatieiev, “Lviv 3000” by Andrii Hryhoriev, and “Panther” by Volodymyr Zavhorodnii); a performance by veteran Valentyn Oleksiyenko and Zirka Savka, “Turning Point”; and a play based on the documentary experience of a serviceman, “Traveler’s Playlist,” at the Lesia Ukrainka Theater.

Healing Arts Lviv was implemented by the NGO Art Dot in collaboration with the Lviv City Council, King’s College London, Unbroken Art, the Home of Sound (LME Lviv radio), and the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, WHO.