Canadians are being encouraged to add a little extra culture to their diet, by none other than medical personnel.
Based on an initiative by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Médecins Francophones du Canada, physicians have been encouraged to send their patients to art museums to relieve stress.
“I am convinced that in the 21st century … the cultural experience of art will contribute to health and well-being as much as the practice of sports,” said Executive Director and Chief Curator of the MMFA, Nathalie Bondil.
Participating doctors are given 50 prescription slips to administer to patients, meaning that a family of two adults and two children can forgo the $31 admission fee for a single adult to enter for free.
Over 185 prescriptions have been filled in the greater Montreal area since November 2018, with studies being conducted on the effects of art therapy on conditions like anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiac arrhythmia.
