ABSTRACT
Beside their traditional roles, galleries and museums are described as health resources in this chapter and the characteristics that make these contexts effective in health promotion and improving well-being are briefly discussed. These institutions are privileged environments for creative practices as social prescriptions, in particular for vulnerable and stigmatized populations. With regard to health promotion in museums and galleries, several initiatives in the United Kingdom and Spain are described and, in addition to the positive outcomes obtained from the participation in creative practices, specific effects of interventions in museums are mentioned. In particular, we stress the facilitation of mutual recovery processes among professionals, caregivers, and the overall community. To conclude, some elementary suggestions are made in order to implement interventions in museums with the aim of promoting health and social inclusion.
