May 2025 Plenary: Cultural and artistic engagements on mental health outcomes for kids.
A joint presentation by Outloud and Art Gallery of NSW
Monday 26 May, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Learning Studio Naala Badu, Art Gallery of New South Wales
Join us for a joint presentation by Outloud and the Art Gallery of NSW exploring the intersection of arts engagement and youth mental health outcomes.
About the Session:
Outloud, a youth-led, intersectional arts organisation based on Darug land in Bankstown, Western Sydney, creates brave, creative spaces for young people to tell their stories, build community, and develop lifelong connections to the arts. At the heart of their work is a deep commitment to wellbeing—recognising that creative expression, cultural safety, and feeling heard are essential to how young people thrive. Their programs are trauma-informed, flexible, and designed with care, offering practical support alongside artistic development.
Since 2019, the Art Gallery Of NSW has partnered with Black Dog Institute to evaluate the impact of cultural and artistic engagements on mental health outcomes for kids and adults. This plenary session will focus on key findings from the last three years of research and programming, particularly Culture Dose for Kids—an 8-week program designed for children aged 9-12 experiencing mild anxiety. The team responsible for delivering the program will discuss research findings and speak about future opportunities to harness the power of art and creativity in a positive way for kids.
Presenters:
Nicole Issa is the creative producer at Outloud. With a degree in Music and Psychology, Nicole is passionate about using arts and creativity as tools to bring light to important social issues. She has been with Outloud for over 4 years and has worked on their award-winning projects RESPECT, UNITY and Stories From Here: An Audio Tour of Bankstown (Sydney Festival 2025, Finalist at the iHeartRadio-Australian Podcast Awards).
Katherine Boydell is founder and head of the award-winning Arts-based Knowledge Translation Lab at Black Dog Institute and Director, Knowledge Translation, Maridulu Budyari Gumal – Sydney Partnership for Health Education Research and Enterprise (SPHERE). Professor Boydell has published over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and books as well as other arts-based outputs.
Danielle Gullotta, Senior Access Programs Producer at Art Gallery of New South Wales, has led the development of the AGNSW's Access and Arts and Health programs since 2008. A passionate advocate for the positive impact of the arts on wellbeing, Danielle champions its role across the education, health, ageing, and disability sectors.
Registration: Please register for this event via our online registration form. Places are limited, so early registration is encouraged.
Many thanks to SCN network council members Sally Webster, Director of Program Delivery, Art Gallery of NSW and Anne Loxley, Executive Director at Arts & Cultural Exchange (ACE) for organising this Plenary session.