The NI Mental Health Arts Festival (NIMHAF), is a registered charity. Established in 2013 we are the oldest mental health arts festival in Northern Ireland.

 

The festival challenges the stigma about mental health through conversations and uses art as a catalyst for change.​ We work across artforms from; visual arts and photography, poetry and song to psychodrama, music, comedy and film, promising to put transformation on the agenda across Northern Ireland.

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The festival has grown since its beginnings and now features events throughout the year. It has established local, regional and international partners highlighting work from researches, activists and artists, both emerging and established. We are proud to support both local, national, and international projects, like our Moving Canvas Project, the PAUSEcast series in partnership with the ACNI, the Open Decks session in partnership with the Blackbox, and  artist residencies in Lebanon and Cambodia.

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We believe that art and creativity has the power to impact mental health positively, and in the importance of supporting those who have lived experience of mental health in their creative practice.​​