Toi Piringa, The Art of Connection. Symposium on creativity and wellbeing (Artsenta).
14 October 2026, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand.
ABSTRACT
In a visually rich digital presentation, supported by an on-site presenter’s narrative, three artist-researchers will reflect on their arts-based doctoral inquiries to articulate and share how creativity has supported well-being. Each contributor has a lived/living experience of an ongoing health condition(s). To support them in selecting what to present, they will intentionally bracket in, or bring into focus, the concept of resilience.
Their research method of inquiry is (arts) multimodal and intermodal–where different creative modalities work with the curious inquirer to support sense-making or knowledge-production. In their inquiries, creative modalities have included sculptural forms, stitched pieces, movement scores, poetic wordings, painted, collaged, or printmaking works, photography, music-making, and more. They value engaging with the more-than-human, being nature, arts materials, forms, and tools, as well as other human contributors/inquirers.
The inquiry work they will present is housed in an experientially, practice-grounded Professional Doctorate in Therapeutic Arts Practice, delivered by a not-for-profit, TEQSA-approved Higher Education Provider in Australia, The MIECAT Institute. They bring to their work not only their lived experiences but also traces of working with other people experiencing disability or disabling experiences, and the challenges faced. They share a desire to advocate for arts-based approaches in health and social care.