Art in Healthcare’s mission is to provide engaging and impactful creative opportunities to support and improve the mental and physical health and wellbeing of individuals in Scotland. Many of these activities take place in community, health and social care settings.
We know that art can help people to feel better and believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience art. As inequalities in society and within access to healthcare grow, Art in Healthcare is providing services that are needed more than ever, and demand for our services is high. Creativity is not just nice to have, but central to supporting people to live well, and in the creation of healthier, happier and economically flourishing communities.
We share our art collection and art workshops with individuals and communities that are under-served by mainstream arts provision. We work across Scotland, identifying and mitigating barriers to participation. We place our large art collection in non-gallery spaces like hospital and GP surgeries and take art workshops to people in their communities, both in person and online. This approach allows us to work with individuals and communities who would otherwise not be engaging with art, artists or creative activities. All workshops are free at the point of delivery.
As we look to the future, we will continue to develop, responding to the changing context in which we operate. Our focus will be upon maintaining and growing our current programme, enabling us to maximise our impact. We will further develop our role as a sector leader and influencer, by sharing our learning, expertise and advocating for policy change for the benefits of individuals living across Scotland.
We currently have a vacancy on our Board of Directors for an individual who can bring legal expertise. You will be able to provide strategic legal advice to the Board in areas such as copyright, contracts and charity governance, and enable us to source external legal resources, as required. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and career stages. We do not require you to have former experience of serving on a Board and can offer a full induction and on-going support and training, as required.
It is important to us that Directors can act as ambassadors for the charity and so we are keen to hear from individuals who are interested in the work of Art in Healthcare and align with our values. To enable the organisation to meet its aims, trustees contribute towards:
- Establishing and maintaining the vision, mission, goals and values
- Developing the strategic framework and direction
- Ensuring the charity has the resources to deliver its ambitions
- Managing risk and ensuring compliance with the governing document, external regulators and the law
- Ensuring organisation finances are well managed
- Establishing appropriate systems for reporting and monitoring
The Board of Directors typically meets four times per annum, usually in central Edinburgh. We also host at least one away day for trustees and staff and encourage trustees to become involved in a sub-group such as Policy, Finance or Art Collection. We can support remote, online participation. We encourage trustees to attend exhibition openings and events.
Please note that this is a voluntary role. Trustees do not receive any remuneration, but we can cover out of pocket expenses such as travel and childcare.
The Process
If you would like to find out more about the role before applying, we can arrange a call with Hilary Burwell, Chair of Art in Healthcare. To set up an initial call please email: vanessa@artinhealthcare.org.uk
To apply please send a side of A4, short video or voice recording explaining [1] why this opportunity interests you, [2] what you could bring to the role including details of any relevant qualifications or work/voluntary/lived experience, and [3] what you would hope to gain from it to: recruitment@artinhealthcare.org.uk Please remember to include your contact details, allowing us to get back to you. You are welcome to also submit a CV, but this isn’t a requirement.
Interviews will be held in early November 2026.