Development of artsandhealth.ie In its Arts and Health Policy and Strategy published in 2010, the Arts Council identified the need for a single and independent resource to meet the current and evolving needs of those involved in arts and health. Waterford Healing Arts Trust (WHAT) and Create were selected through a process of open competition to receive Arts Council funding to develop the website.

WHAT and Create developed artsandhealth.ie in 2011 with the support of an editorial panel comprising Ciara McMahon, GP and artist, Aidan Warner, Community Department HSE South (Cork), Lucina Russell, Arts Officer, Kildare County Council, Nicola Dunne, Arts and Wellbeing Specialist with Kildare West Wicklow County Addiction Team, Helene Hugel, Artistic Director of Helium Arts, Katrina Goldstone, Communications, Create, and Jo O’Rourke, Senior Health Promotion Officer, HSE.

The website development was directed by Mary Grehan, former Arts Director of WHAT and Sarah Tuck, former Director of Create. Through a partnership agreement between WHAT and Create, it was pre-agreed that the management of artsandhealth.ie would be taken on by WHAT at the end of the development phase.

The website is now managed by the organisational and management systems put in place by WHAT. Emma Eager is currently the Project Co-ordinator / Moderator.

During the development phase of artsandhealth.ie, independent arts consultant Sarah Searson was commissioned by the project partners to make recommendations for the future governance of the website to ensure long term, transparent and workable structures.

Further to these recommendations, an editorial panel was established in early 2012 to support artsandhealth.ie.