Beginnings
What is CAHN?
The Critical Arts in Health Network (CAHN) began with sharing frustration over the narrowing terms of reference set by field of practice known as ‘Arts in Health’. We are researchers, patients artists and clinicians who meet to engage in critical dialogue around models of 'good practice’ (old and new).
We want to go beyond asking what it is that makes specific arts-health projects successful in strictly biomedical terms to ask: what are the criteria, contexts, values, languages and assumptions that inform public assessment? This mission includes reflecting on our own values and also considering more broadly what ‘criticality’ is, and can do, today.
CAHN emerged between people drawn across different disciplines at Sheffield Hallam, Manchester Metropolitan and Queen Margaret Universities. We developed an ugly acronym at this time to use for an (unsuccessful) funding bid, enrolling colleagues in Ireland as well as those already based in Wales, Scotland and England.
We are unusual in working together across UK regions and nations. Despite our failure to secure funding - perhaps because of it - we continue to enjoy collaborating on events that can expand the scope of critical attention across and between arts-health places-people, building platforms between us. This has become essential in light of changes brought about by the pandemic.
Armed with a new twitter handle, @yeswecahn, this website was developed in 2021, devised as to create virtual space to think about and build a wider, deeper network of people committed to re-making and ‘making better’ the field of Arts in Health.
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What is CAHN?
The Critical Arts in Health Network (CAHN) began with sharing frustration over the narrowing terms of reference set by field of practice known as ‘Arts in Health’. We are researchers, patients artists and clinicians who meet to engage in critical dialogue around models of 'good practice’ (old and new).
We want to go beyond asking what it is that makes specific arts-health projects successful in strictly biomedical terms to ask: what are the criteria, contexts, values, languages and assumptions that inform public assessment? This mission includes reflecting on our own values and also considering more broadly what ‘criticality’ is, and can do, today.
CAHN emerged between people drawn across different disciplines at Sheffield Hallam, Manchester Metropolitan and Queen Margaret Universities. We developed an ugly acronym at this time to use for an (unsuccessful) funding bid, enrolling colleagues in Ireland as well as those already based in Wales, Scotland and England.
We are unusual in working together across UK regions and nations. Despite our failure to secure funding - perhaps because of it - we continue to enjoy collaborating on events that can expand the scope of critical attention across and between arts-health places-people, building platforms between us. This has become essential in light of changes brought about by the pandemic.
Armed with a new twitter handle, @yeswecahn, this website was developed in 2021, devised as to create virtual space to think about and build a wider, deeper network of people committed to re-making and ‘making better’ the field of Arts in Health.
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