New Fellows resume for Arts in Medicine programme

The second global cohort of artist Kunle Adewale’s Arts in Medicine Fellowship supported by the United States Mission to Nigeria has commenced.

FELLOWS of the second global cohort of the Arts in Medicine Fellowship commenced their training on Sunday, January 16, after orientation and opening ceremony.

The over 100 Fellows from 16 countries were warmly received at the virtual event. They are from Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Scotland, United States, Brazil, Botswana, Canada, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, United Arab Emirate (UAE), Jamaica and Barbados.

Founder and Executive Director of Arts in Medicine Fellowship, Kunle Adewale explained that the fellowship began in 2018 through the support of the United States Mission to Nigeria and the U.S State Department.

He explained that the initiative, a multidisciplinary and cross-cultural global program, has graduated over 600 Fellows from 25 countries and that it was to foster more understanding between arts and public health.

“The fellowship was established as an institution to bridge the professional gaps between practitioners of arts and public health. We intend to help students and professionals build a meaningful relationship and find innovative ways to collaborate by leveraging creativity to facilitate hope, happiness and healings for patients, caregivers, family members and the community as a whole,” he said.

Keynote speaker and artist, Annie Ruth, inspired the participants and guests using her personal life experiences as a storyboard to emphasize the relevance of “The Union of Arts and Health for a Better World.” The Cincinnati, US-based artist reiterated that “arts can move beyond a profession into a calling.”

Fellows selected for the second global cohort were students and professionals from education, mental health, art therapy, photography, media, entrepreneurship, public health, arts and pharmacy, amongst other disciplines. The fellowship would run in hybrid fashion for 12 weeks, mostly at weekends.

Facilitators of the fellowship include the cultural producer and co-founder of Creative-aging International based in Ireland, Dominic Campbell, artist in residence and lecturer at the University of Florida Centre for Arts in Medicine, Sarah Hinds,  and professional photographer, Dr Femi Adewuyi.

Others are Zimbabwean film and TV producer Munya Bloggo, Senior Lecturer at the University of Florida Centre for Arts in Medicine and theatre practitioner based in the United States, Jeff Pufhal and  US-based dance and movement therapist Brittni Cleland. The last facilitator is professional teaching artist, dance and creative ageing advocate Magda Kaczmarska.

Programme’s courses include Introduction to Arts in Health, Leadership in Arts in Health, Developing Art based Interventions, Design Thinking and Health Innovation. The others are Ideation and Creative Practices, which includes visual and performing arts, painting, photography, dance and movement therapy.

The Fellows would have the opportunity to collaborate and host onsite and online creative and therapeutic programmes to support the mental, emotional and social life of their community members. The goal is to advance arts integration to support health and wellbeing locally and globally.

Board members of the Arts in Medicine Fellowship, including Dr Manale Elewah (Egypt), Amy Tuttle (United States) and fellowship alumni, leadership and team members, attended the orientation ceremony. The fellowship would climax with an Arts in Health Festival.