The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), Pan-Atlantic University, and the Art for Health Initiative (AHI) have concluded a two-day workshop in Lagos that brought together art, public health and storytelling to explore mental health and resilience among young people. Twenty-five art students from Yaba College of Technology’s Epe Annex participated in the programme, titled “What We Carry: Stories of Mental Health and Resilience”.
The workshop, held on October 2 and 3 at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, was designed to examine how art can be used to support conversations around mental health, emotional wellbeing and resilience. Organisers said the initiative sought to provide young people with alternative ways of reflecting on and communicating experiences such as stress, social pressure, grief, uncertainty, hope and family expectations.
Participants attended sessions led by specialists from public health, mental health and the arts. These included presentations on The Role of Art in Health Communication by public health strategist Dr Olayinka Badmus, Mental Health and Resilience by psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Emmanuel Abayomi, and practical artistic expression sessions led by art project lead Temitope Oladeji. The programme also featured a curated museum tour focused on art and social change, led by museum educator and art historian Charles Udeh.
During the workshop, students developed creative concepts based on themes discussed during the sessions and presented their ideas for peer and facilitator feedback. The programme also addressed responsible storytelling practices, including the need to avoid stigma and harmful stereotypes when communicating sensitive experiences. Organisers said participants were not required to publicly disclose personal trauma.
According to YSMA, the initiative marked the museum’s first programme specifically focused on using art as a platform to engage with public health and mental health issues. The museum said the project aligns with its broader role as a space for learning, reflection and public engagement on issues affecting communities.
Solomon Nkwagu, Head of Corporate Communication and Visitors’ Services at YSMA, said the workshop enabled students to consider how artistic practice could be used to communicate issues related to public and mental health, as well as personal experiences and social concerns.
“What made this experience particularly powerful was watching the students realise that their art could do more than communicate an aesthetic idea,” he said. “They began to see the possibility of using their creative voices to start conversations around public and mental health, to tell stories that people can recognise themselves in, and perhaps even to create moments of reflection and healing for others. That shift in perspective was one of the most rewarding parts of the programme.”
He added: “For YSMA, this is an important direction. Museums can create the conditions for people to encounter ideas differently. In this case, we brought art into conversation with public health and mental health, and gave young artists the opportunity to imagine what that intersection could look like through their own work.”
For Art for Health Initiative, the workshop reflects a broader effort to explore participatory approaches to health communication.
AHI founder Chidera Rosecamille Aneke said the programme was developed to explore more participatory and culturally relevant approaches to health communication, that health information can be communicated through creative expression as well as conventional channels.
“We wanted to create a space where young artists could understand that health is not only communicated through statistics, campaigns or clinical information. It can also be communicated through stories, images, symbols, emotions and lived experiences,” Aneke said. “Working with the students showed us the possibilities that emerge when artists are given the knowledge, language and space to think about health through their own creative practice.”
Following the workshop, participating students are expected to produce original artworks inspired by the discussions and activities from the two-day programme. Organisers said the works will form part of a micro-exhibition scheduled to be held in Lagos in November 2026, with details to be announced at a later date.
Mental health awareness has increasingly become a focus of public health discussions in Nigeria, with cultural and creative initiatives being used to encourage dialogue, reduce stigma and engage younger audiences through accessible forms of expression.
•Featured image: Workshop Session at the Multipurpose Gallery of the YSMA/YSMA