X’staam Hana’ax Shares H.E.A.L. Healthcare at Arts BC Conference

On October 3-5, 2024,  H.E.A.L. Healthcare Research Manager, X’staam Hana’ax (Nicole Halbauer) presented at the bi-annual Arts BC Conference in kʷikʷəƛ̓əm | Kwikwetlem | Coquitlam. Community arts leaders, cultural visionaries, and creative minds from across the province gathered to reconnect, learn together, and share knowledge, stories, and ideas.

This year’s theme, Changing the Narrative, centred the arts as a fundamental mechanism for shaping our collective future. The conference explored practical methodologies to stabilize and adapt the sector to new realities, break down ineffective silos, and explore cross-sector intersections and our roles in social change, community wellbeing, economic growth, and the climate crisis.

X’staam Hana’ax shared about H.E.A.L. Healthcare in a Spotlight Session and participated in a Panel Discussion on centring arts as central to a creative, innovative, and healthy society. As conference participants and organizers shared after hearing from X’staam Hana’ax, the H.E.A.L Healthcare program is a powerful example of the impact of changing the narrative on the value and role of art and artists in healthcare.

Learn more about the Arts BC 2024 Conference: https://artsbc.org/conference-2024/