News

More than two decades of creativity and collaboration in the mental health space were celebrated when patients, carers, artists, NHS staff and local supporters came together on Saturday 20 June to mark the closure of the Conference Centre Gallery at St Pancras Hospital.  

The event, held at the Conference Centre, featured a special screening of two short films by filmmaker Anna Bowman: Kaleidoscopic Dreams: Swansong (2026), highlighting January’s Swansong finale event , and 20 Years of Art and Health: Emerald Twenty (2023), which celebrates the gallery’s 20 year milestone in 2023. The event offered a chance to reflect on the gallery’s impact ahead of the wider regeneration of the St Pancras site.

Around 40-50 attendees gathered during the afternoon, including service users, carers, staff, artists, governors, and members of the local community. The screenings were followed by refreshments and an opportunity to connect and share memories of the gallery, which has hosted a wide range of exhibitions and activities over its 23 year history.

Speaking at the event, North London NHS Foundation Trust’s Deputy Lead Governor, Olga Cecilia Farach, reflected on the significance of the gallery:

“In my opinion, this was the best art for mental health and wellbeing the Trust experienced through Peter Herbert, the curator and manager of The Arts Project. Peter’s exhibitions were on display for anyone who used to visit the hospital and were a form of social prescribing medicine that could help them regulate their emotions, providing an outlet for when words fall short, and also a type of art therapy for all visitors and viewers.”

The Arts Project’s Curator Manager, Peter Herbert, also spoke about its legacy:

“The tribute to The Arts Project through two short films by filmmaker Anna Bowman in The Conference Centre drew an appreciative gathering of friends, visitors, and artists. Many came to say farewell to the gallery and view films about the wide range of mixed media exhibitions that The Arts Project staged during the last 23 years. The screenings celebrated opportunities provided for many who both created artwork for the gallery and enjoyed the uplifting value of the arts. The films are a reminder of how the project nurtured many local art groups within local NHS settings. The screenings also reflected upon how the arts and healthcare can inspire us all and flourish during periods of change.”

The event marked the end of an important chapter for the Conference Centre Gallery, which has played a valued role in supporting wellbeing through the arts. As redevelopment of the St Pancras Hospital site moves forward, attendees reflected on the gallery’s lasting contribution to patients, staff and the wider community, and the memories it leaves behind.