(Photo: Yukiko Onley)

How can I donate to Health Arts Society?
By calling David Lemon at 604.731.4552 or sending a donation to:

Health Arts Society
1201 West 7^th Avenue
Vancouver BC  V6H 1B7

You may also make a donation online:

Registered Charity # 81014 0749 RR0001
 

Are the performers paid?
Yes

Why should performers be paid?  Wouldn’t they do this work as a service?
A great many performers have visited health care sites as volunteers, but artists cannot be expected to give away their services on a regular basis.   This is not presumed of health care staff or any other person who works for a living.  ArtsWay performances are professional, consistent and regularly delivered.  It is entirely appropriate and necessary that the work of performer partners of the Society be paid for.                                                                     

Is the Society working across the Province?
It is an important objective of Health Arts Society to bring ArtsWay events to people across the Province.  Presently most of the performances have taken place in the lower mainland although the society has undertaken pilot ArtsWay projects in Fraser Health Authority sites and Vancouver Island Health Authority sites.  These have been a success and there is an appetite for more.  As always funding issues are critical, and the Society is seeking growth in funding to meet the demand.

Is a range of genres available?
ArtsWay programs usually feature from one to four performers offering a wide range of genres including western classical music, light music, jazz, Chinese music and spoken word.

How do you know the work is beneficial?
The delighted reactions of audiences and staff have been assurance enough that the ArtsWay programs are beneficial, but we are not surprised by the responses.  After all, we provide performances for people like all of us but who are isolated from access to arts by reason of illness or frailty.  Although health care site staff do their best to provide a living environment that is stimulating and interesting for patients, health authorities have not established formalised and budgeted quality of life programs for people in long term care.   Elders in residence will probably be spending the last years of their lives in an institution.  These are people who made our place for us, we think we should be making life engaging and enjoyable for them.

What do the events cost per patient?
Taking into account the costs of running Health Arts Society and building the Society’s project to develop new quality of life interventions the cost for each person attending an ArtsWay event is less than $14.  This is little more than the cost of a movie ticket, and much less than the cost of producing most concerts.  Concert tickets usually cost patrons about 40%-60% of the cost of putting on the concert.  So a $20 ticket represents a cost of $40 to the presenting society.  In the case of ArtsWay events the patrons pay nothing but the total cost is much less than is required to present arts events to well patrons.

I have other questions.  How can I get answers to them?
David Lemon, Founder, Executive and Artistic Director of Health Arts Society will be pleased to try to answer all questions about the work of the Society. 

You can call David Lemon at 604.731.4552 or email d.lemon@healtharts.org