Can art give you a healthier outlook on life? A Brussels councilor thinks so, and is planning a program that will allow Brussels doctors to prescribe 50 free museum visits a year.
Delphine Houba, who heads the city’s culture and tourism department told L’Echo newspaper that “It has been shown that art is good for mental and physical health.” Her plan is modeled on that’s been in use in Quebec since 2018.
The proposal came shortly after the city introduced a plan to allow residents to visit a psychologist at a rate of €11 per session, and found that while the idea was popular, the doctors weren’t willing to work at that rate.
The museum proposal’s trial will have no immediate price to it, but would apply only to five museums that are run by Houba’s department. They are the City Museum on the Grand Place, the Fashion & Lace Museum, the Sewer Museum, the wardrobe of Mannekin-Pis and the Centre for Contemporary Art.
