Faro grant for ‘Valuable & Healing’ heritage project

In December, the Dutch Cultural Heritage (Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed) awarded funding for the project ‘Valuable & Healing: Heritage Collections about and with Healthcare’ (2025–2026).

Building on a long tradition of research on the therapeutic potential of visual and material culture, ‘Valuable and Healing’ applies explicitly to medical heritage – a domain often excluded from these studies due to the association with illness, trauma and stigma.

A Dutch Consortium of Healthcare Heritage Collections

The two-year project will focus on how Dutch heritage collections can positively contribute to the mental and physical wellbeing of both individuals and communities in an inclusive and non-hierarchical way. Partners include the Museum for the History and Science of Medicine (Museum Boerhaave), the Museum for Nursing (FNI / Museum voor Verpleegkunde), the Museum of the Mind (Museum van de Geest), the Dutch Orphanage Museum (Museum Kinderdorp Neerbosch), Dr Manon Parry from the Pulse Network for Health & Medical Humanities (VU / University of Amsterdam), and Ruben Verwaal from the Heritage Collection at Erasmus Medical Centre.

Researching Medical Heritage Engagement

Drawing on qualitative and quantitative research on participation projects such as ‘Yo, Doc, Listen Up!’ – a co-curated exhibition about deafness – and a recent study by the Museum Boerhaave on the acquisition of objects relating to fertility problems, the project will also feature an international expert meeting and symposium.

For more info (in Dutch), please visit faro.cultureelerfgoed.nl.