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Pilot Activities

The Directorate of Performing Arts and Cinema of the Ministry of Culture has issued two calls for proposals, through which pilot activities are implemented by Cultural Entities of the Ministry, as well as Legal Entities under Public or Private Law with public benefit and cultural purposes. These activities aim to create fields for testing and providing feedback for the research conducted by UMHRI (Sub-project 1 of Project 5184298: "Art on Prescription as a Complementary Treatment in Mental Health"). Feedback from the research, based on evaluations and findings from targeted pilot activities for individuals with mental health conditions and other chronic illnesses affecting psychological wellbeing, guides the optimisation of the methodology and finalises the programme’s implementation framework.

Pilot Phase I (Duration: 2 Quarters: March–June and September–November 2024)

The 1st Call was addressed to cultural institutions under the Ministry of Culture for the submission of complete Art on Prescription pilot activity programmes, designed according to specific criteria (e.g., individual visits or recurring activities, individual or group interventions, therapeutic cycles with sessions, target age group, etc.) developed by the UMHRI Research Team for the first pilot phase of the project.

A total of eleven (11) proposals were submitted for evaluation, covering a wide range of art forms, including Theatre, Dance, Cinema, Music, and Visual Arts. Ten (10) institutions received positive evaluations, with a total budget of €765,493.91. The participating institutions are:

Greek National Opera – “Women’s Journeys"

Exploring Women’s Experiences through Voice, Music, and Mental Imagery

National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum

“Therapeutically Targeted Visual Arts Workshops at the National Gallery & National Glyptotheque”

National Theatre of Greece

“National Theatre: Theatre and Therapy”

National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST)

“Art Therapy at EMST for Individuals with Mental Health Challenges”

State School of Dance

“Therapeutic Dance and Creative Movement Workshop”

State Theatre of Northern Greece

“Theatre and Therapy: Theatrical Expression Workshops at the National Theatre of Northern Greece”

Athens Concert Hall

“On the Path to Self-Perception through Active Listening”

Thessaloniki Concert Hall

“OPERA: The Shoes of the Other – Choral Workshop”

Metropolitan institution of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki (MOMus)

Pilot Art on Prescription Activities: i. Landscapes of the Self ii. FACES-PHASES iii. Forms and Stories / CareArt iv. Crossing-Layers: Art and Heritage in Mental Health

Landscapes of the Self ii. FACES-PHASES

Forms and Stories / CareArt iv. Crossing-Layers: Art and Heritage in Mental Health 10. Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki Film Festival

“Cinema Always: Film and Senior Citizens”

Total beneficiaries: 398

Pilot Phase II (Duration: 2 Quarters – September to November 2025 & December 2025 to February 2026)

Twenty-seven (27) institutions participated, including Legal Entities under Public or Private Law with cultural and public benefit purposes, Foundations, Supervised S.A. companies, Social Cooperative Enterprises, and Non-Profit Organizations. A total of 39 proposals were submitted, with an estimated maximum participation of approximately 1,164 beneficiaries.

Phase II of Art on Prescription commenced in September 2025 and is scheduled to conclude by March 31, 2026.

  1. Heraklion Archaeological Museum – “Seeking Nature in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum: The therapeutic power of Art in supporting Mild Cognitive Impairment.”
  2. Nikos Kazantzakis Museum – “You Have the Colours, You Have the Brushes: Art on Prescription Activities at the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum.”
  3. Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki – “Art on Prescription Initiative of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki: Dance Workshops and Visual Arts Applications.”
  4. State Theatre of Northern Greece – “Theatre and Therapy: Mask and Costume-Making Workshops and Experiential Theatre Workshops at the National Theatre of Northern Greece.”
  5. Olympic Museum – “Dialogues of Theatrical Expression and Inner Exploration at the Olympic Museum.”
  6. Thessaloniki Concert Hall – “On the Stage of the Concert Hall: Music-Theatre and Choral Workshops.”
  7. Metropolitan Institution of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki (MOMus) – “Art on Prescription Pilot Action – Phase II: 1. ReTake: Discovering New Perspectives in Life and Art, 2. The Beginning of the Circle, 3. Art for Me, 4. The Body I Inhabit.”
  8. Drama International Short Film Festival – “Art on Prescription Travels to the Drama Festival.”
  9. Municipal and Regional Theatre of Ioannina – “Therapeutic Storytelling: Strengthening Mental Health through the Power of Stories.”
  10. Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People (Social Cooperative Company) – “Cinema and Mental Health in Adolescence.”
  11. Museum of Cycladic Art (Nicholas and Dolly Goulandris Foundation) – “Art as a Prescribed Therapy (‘Art on Prescription’) for Mental Health.”
  12. Pavlos and Alexandra Kanellopoulos Museum – “Windows to the Past: Human Stories from Antiquity to the Present.”
  13. National Museum of Contemporary Art – “Art Psychotherapy at EMST for Individuals with Mental Health Challenges – Phase II.”
  14. National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum – “Visual Arts Workshops at the National Gallery & National Glyptotheque (Athens) and at the National Gallery & National Glyptotheque – (Nafplio Annex).”
  15. Athens Concert Hall – “Music as a Catalyst for Self-Expression and Creativity.”
  16. Galilee Palliative Care Unit (Holy Metropolis of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki) – “Twelve Times.”
  17. Michael Cacoyannis Foundation – “Reawakening the Soul through Culture.”
  18. Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center – “The Garden Above the Sea” – a series of interactive sessions at the Stavros Niarchos Park. Beneficiaries: A) Individuals aged 65+ diagnosed with early/mild dementia B) Adult family caregivers of persons with dementia (Project: Pilot Art on Prescription Activities).
  19. State School of Dance – “Three-Month Dance Actions with an Experiential Group – Dance Workshop.”
  20. Athens Conservatoire – “The Wonders of the Body – Dance Workshop at the Athens Conservatoire.”
  21. Greek National Opera – “Resonances: Meeting Points between Speech and Music.”

Beneficiaries

Participants are referred by Mental Health Institutions (public or private) legally operating in Greece, or by other institutions such as patient associations. A mandatory referral is required from the responsible Mental Health Professional (Psychiatrist, Child Psychiatrist, or Private Psychologist) who is "linked" to the patient. Referrals can also be made by Private Mental Health Professionals of the
following specialties: Psychiatrist, Psychiatrist-Neurologist, Child Psychiatrist,
Psychologist, Social Worker, and Occupational Therapist. The full directory of Mental Health Institutions is posted on the Ministry of Health website ( https://bi.moh.gov.gr/mhealthmaps/showmap ) and is accessible to all
institutions.

  1. The Cultural Institution contacts Mental Health Institutions or Private Mental Health Professionals to present the activity and its specific target group, requesting the referral of mental health service users. The number of beneficiaries requested must cover all groups and sessions for both quarters (A
    and B), including an additional 10% to account for potential withdrawals. During these briefings, the Cultural Institution must clearly present the activity, the target population, the implementation team, the schedule of the experiential groups, the selection and referral criteria, the desired number of participants, and the required level of collaboration and communication throughout the project.
  2. The Mental Health Institution/Private Professional informs mental health service users who fall within the target group. If the user wishes to participate, the Mental Health Professional issues and signs the relevant Referral Note (as provided in the GUIDE).
  3. The Cultural Institution collects the referral notes from the participants and registers them on the Platform to secure the spot and assign a participation registration number to the participant.
  4. Upon completion of the referral registration and the formation of groups, the Institution informs the research team, which then conducts a review and audit
    to ensure compliance with the group formation criteria.
  5. The Cultural Institution organizes the Welcome Orientation Meeting for the participants. During this meeting, the institution welcomes all interested parties and provides a detailed presentation of the activity, the implementation professionals, the schedule, the artistic and experiential group procedures, the participants; obligations regarding questionnaires, and the withdrawal policy. If the participant chooses to join the activity and the research study, they sign a Participation Consent Form and complete the baseline questionnaire.

  6. The Cultural Institution enters the positive responses into the Art on Prescription Platform and informs the Research Team to proceed with the allocation of participants to either the first or second quarter (A or B). Upon completion of the allocation, the Cultural Institution notifies the participants and commences the implementation of the activity.

Cultural Institutions:

  1. The Cultural Institution is responsible for designing and drafting its proposal, taking into account that it will be implemented as a Pilot Activity within the framework of the Ministry of Culture's Art on Prescription Pilot Projects and the UMHRI Research Programme regarding Art on Prescription in Greece.
  2. Each proposal must include one artistic activity falling under one of the art categories coded above. The Cultural Institution may submit more than one proposal/activity; however, each proposal/activity must strictly focus on a single art form.
  3. The Institution is responsible for networking and collaborating with Mental Health Institutions (mental health structures/units, psychiatrists, child psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists) to form the groups of participants/beneficiaries for the activity it will implement. To this end, the Institution must independently contact Mental Health Institutions (structures/units), ensure beneficiary participation, and obtain the commitment of the referring physicians or mental health professionals that participants meet the criteria of this call. Finally, the Institution must compile the list of participants for the activity. To include a beneficiary in the programme, the Cultural Institution will receive a referral note from the physicians/mental health professionals, based on the template developed by the UMHRI Research Team. The Cultural Institution must ensure a minimum number of 8 beneficiaries per group.
  4. The pilot activity must necessarily include an experiential group session (discussion group) with a minimum duration of 30 minutes per activity/visit.
  5. The activity shall target a specific group of participants with homogeneous characteristics.
  6. The activity must take place at the headquarters or a branch of the Cultural Institution. Funding is not provided for activities conducted remotely (online), nor for the leasing of external spaces.
  7. The Cultural Institution is required to complete the relevant questionnaires that will contribute to the research and the final shaping of the organizational and institutional framework for Art on Prescription.
  8. The Cultural Institution agrees to support participants in completing and submitting responses to specific research-related questionnaires, and subsequently to enter the data into the Information System designated by the UMHRI Research Team.
  9. Immediately upon joining the programme, the Cultural Institution is required to form the activity implementation team, which shall consist of personnel meeting the criteria set out in Section D.
  10. The activity will take place over two three-month cycles (Quarters A and B), which will share identical characteristics but involve different groups of beneficiaries. The total duration of the proposal is six (6) months.
  11. Throughout the activity, participants will be required to complete questionnaires at specific time milestones.
  12. Each quarter’s activity includes at least one group of participants with homogeneous characteristics, such as age category and disease category. Each group may consist of 8 to 12 individuals. Groups with fewer than 8 people (minimum participation limit) are not permitted. However, as an exception, groups of up to 15 people are allowed for "ticket set" type activities, exclusively for attending a performance/event. Should the number of participants fall to 5 or fewer within the first month of the activity, the Cultural Institution is required to replenish the group to meet the minimum threshold of 8 participants.
  13. The Cultural Institution may form additional groups if the number of beneficiaries exceeds twelve (12) individuals, provided that the institution possesses the necessary infrastructure. 
  14. Participants will attend the activity once a week (session) in the case of a workshop, and once every fortnight in the case of a ticket set activity. The recommended duration for a session, whether it is a workshop or a ticket set artistic activity, is 90 to 120 minutes, including the experiential group session, which must last at least 30 minutes. The duration may be extended beyond two (2) hours if the activity involves attending an event (concert, theatrical performance, dance performance, film), in which case it will last accordingly, while the experiential group session will take place in the following days.

Therefore:

  • Each therapeutic intervention or activity applies one art form.
  • Each activity consists of two cycles (Quarters A and B).
  • One or more groups of beneficiaries participate in each cycle.
  • Each group may be divided into multiple sub-groups to maintain the limit of up to 12 people per group (minimum participation limit of 8 people).
  • Each group attends weekly sessions lasting between 90 (minimum) and 120 minutes each.

 

15. When forming participant groups, the Cultural Institution must take into account psychiatric diagnoses of type F, according to the ICD-10 classification system, and/or clinical diagnoses (descriptive), including individuals with diagnosed mental illness and individuals with secondary mental health burdens arising from other health issues. These individuals must be referred strictly and exclusively by physicians (Psychiatrists, Child Psychiatrists, Psychiatrists- Neurologists) and Mental Health Professionals (Psychologists, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists) of the participant, to ensure the formation of homogeneous groups with similar levels of functionality and symptom severity.

Art Prescription