Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

In April 2017, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts launched a comprehensive art therapy programme. The programme in its current capacity includes a full-time art therapist, several art therapy groups with partnering organizations and clinics, an internship training programme, several research projects, and a free access open studio - The Art Hive. This paper will report on the near two decades of community outreach initiatives that gave birth to the art therapy programme and the range of projects realized in its first year, with an eye towards future innovation. With the largest amount of sq metres dedicated to education and well-being in a North American museum, the impact of physical space, accessibility, and philanthropy at the MMFA will also be explored. We will also highlight how the notions of wellness and inclusivity have evolved and undergone reconsideration within the Museum’s Department of Education and Wellness and how art therapy as a profession finds expanded definition within the museum milieu.