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ArtsCare: Arts for Mental Health

ArtsCare is Mississauga Arts Council’s (MAC) initiative dedicated to the integration of arts-based wellness into our community’s healthcare practices, beginning with the landmark Arts for Mental Health Conference in 2021 in partnership with Mass Culture.

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Seniors Arts and Music Series (SAMS)

The Seniors Arts & Music Series (SAMS) is a circuit of free in-person entertainment for older adults to participate in stimulating and varied arts classes and musical performances, presented to residents of long-term care and retirement homes in Mississauga.

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A group of women in traditional floral dresses perform a dance with colorful paper umbrellas in a sunlit community room.

The Arts for Mental Health Award

Presented by MAC and sponsored by Bell Canada, the Arts for Mental Health Award recognizes leaders in the field who have made significant contributions to the intersection of arts and wellness. This award celebrates individuals and organizations that have improved the lives of Mississauga residents through creative healing.

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Four people posing on stage at the 2025 MACsquerade Glam Ball. The two individuals in the center and on the right are holding framed "Arts for Mental Health Award" certificates.

Pilot ArtsCare Social Prescription Program

On November 30th, 2023, Mississauga Arts Council (MAC) presented a new Proposal for a Pilot ArtsCare Social Prescription Program in Mississauga, written by art psychotherapist, Haley Toll, to the Hon. Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. This pilot program is the next step to furthering MAC’s ArtsCare initiatives to make creative experiences and activities available to residents as a non-pharmacological solution to improving mental health. 

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Two older men shake hands and smile at a corporate event. Both of them wear suits, one in a bow tie, and the other in a red and blue tie. A podium is visible in the background. The logo for "ArtsCare" is placed in the bottom right.

The Arts for Mental Health Conference

The Mississauga Arts Council in partnership with Mass Culture presented the virtual Arts for Mental Health Conference on October 6, 2021. This conference brought together health care practitioners and creative sector leaders to explore the rationale for, design and implementation of a pilot program that will deliver and expand arts programs to people living with mental health issues in Mississauga.

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Graphic for the Arts for Mental Health Conference. The text reads "A4MH, Arts for Mental Health. Arts for Mental Health Conference, Oct 6th, 2021. Learn more about the benefits of ArtsCare at artscare.ca" over a watercolour background. The MAC and Mass Culture logos are featured in the bottom right, with the tagline "Inform | Collaborate | Inspire" in the bottom left.

Learn more about ArtsCare

ArtsCare is an initiative developed by the Mississauga Arts Council to encourage and champion creative and social experiences as an aid for those suffering with mental health issues.

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