Our Heritage
The project is led by Arts & Minds in association with the University of Cambridge Museums partners including Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Fitzwilliam Museum, the Botanical Gardens and other heritage sites across Cambridgeshire.
The project is delivering a total of 12 workshop series (each series lasting 14 weeks) over three years with 15 people taking part in each series. The aim is to help relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety while increasing self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing.
Workshop participants visit museum or natural heritage sites to explore collections and wildlife, and are encouraged to discover more about the heritage. These visits form the basis of further sessions where the participants use what they have learned to create their own interpretation of the heritage through artwork. At the end, an exhibition of the participants' work is shared among friends and relatives in local venues.
The project also provides training and skills development for heritage sector workers in how to meet the needs of people experiencing depression and anxiety to help inform the way in which the heritage sites shape their own programmes.