The arts and health organisation Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts Australia (DADAA) has published a breakthrough book evidencing the effectiveness of community-based arts interventions.

Launched in July, Proving the Practice responds to a lack of evidence in the field of community-based arts and health by providing a rich body of evidence to support the effectiveness of arts interventions for people with a mental illness.

Proving the Practice is an edited collection of essays, with national and international perspectives.  Its diverse group of contributors include seasoned community arts practitioners, health professionals, academics and artists with an experience of mental illness.

The combination of their voices and artworks in the book adds to the significant effort to recognise the vital role that arts play in the wellbeing and participation of sections of the community who have historically been excluded.

Chapters include case studies, community narratives, literature reviews, theoretical pieces and overviews of evaluation methodologies.

Aimed primarily at policy makers, the book has value for practitioners, allied health workers and consumers.

Proving the Practice is part of a three-year research and evaluation project called Disseminate.  The first year has focused on mental health; upcoming projects will focus on regional arts and health programs, and ageing and disability.

Disseminate is a partnership that combines the forces of DADAA, the Rio Tinto WA Future Fund and Healthway (through the Health Promotion Evaluation Unit based at Edith Cowan University).

“Our partnership with the Rio Tinto WA Future Fund and Healthway aims, ultimately, to inform social policy,” says David Doyle, Executive Director of DADAA.

“We want to achieve this through building a body of evidence based on sound methodology.

“While this draws on the action research undertaken through DADAA’s work in some of the most vulnerable communities across Western Australia, the project also incorporates work done by other community-based arts researchers and organisations both in Australia and internationally.”
 
DADAA receive support from the Department of Culture and the Arts as a multi-year funded organisation.

Learn more about DADAA