Wellbeing and creativity

Though often overlooked, heritage sites have an important role to play as spaces to reduce wellbeing-inequalities. Through our research into heritage sites and their relationship with memory, identity, and belonging, we are developing creative programs that improve community wellbeing through interaction with heritage.

Our research explores the role heritage places have in addressing the universal crisis in mental health and wellbeing. We are working with communities, heritage organisations and policymakers around the world to test how effective community-centred interventions are in supporting people to be and feel valued. We explore if this approach can help reduce well-being inequalities and mental distress experienced by specific individuals and communities.

Dr Faye Sayer
Associate Professor in Heritage and History
  • Faye Sayer addressing a group in a museum setting

    Creating healthier societies

    Featured project

    Professor Faye Sayer’s project, ‘Creating healthier societies through heritage’, is a first-of-its-kind study to provide applicable evidence of the impact of heritage sites on visitors’ wellbeing. We collaborate with diverse heritage sites in the UK, USA and India. The research presents guidelines and strategies for heritage projects to support visitors’ personal and social wellbeing. We develop programmes and projects specifically tailored to support wider community wellbeing.

Community archaeology in the Mediterranean

‘Linking community archaeology and wellbeing in the Mediterranean’ (LOGGIA) demonstrates how cultural heritage activities can break down barriers to public participation and have a positive impact on the wellbeing of individuals and communities. The project is led by Dr Francesco Ripanti.

The project works closely with vulnerable groups through collaboration with a mental health ward in Italy and the Huntington's disease community in Cyprus. It ran public archaeology programmes that helped restore a local heritage site and explore digital recreations of other heritage sites in Minecraft.

Encouraging more diverse engagement

‘Heritage Sites and Transformative Partnerships’ is a UK/US multidisciplinary, partnership project. It is applying a behavioural model to designing localised and culturally relevant strategies that encourage more diverse participation at three historic estates:

  • The Biltmore Estate
  • Nemours Estate
  • Chatsworth House

The project works with diverse communities and non-traditional audiences to discover barriers and co-create new people-centred narratives that reflect the sites’ diverse hidden histories.

Art for anxiety relief

Dr Faye Sayer led a team investigating the impacts that the charity’s ‘Art for Anxiety Relief’ online creative courses had on attendees’ anxiety, stress and anxiety-based depression. The research provided new evidence of the therapeutic benefits of creative and cultural arts for mental health symptoms and anxiety.

The project is in partnership with Anxiety UK.