Our Approach
Artist-led participatory art for connection, reflection and collective meaning.
Rooted in painting and shared creative practice, ARTKOM invites people to take part through colour, gesture, material and reflection.
01 · Why
Why participatory art matters
There are moments when conversation alone is not enough. In organisations, care contexts, communities and personal lives, people often carry complexity that is difficult to express directly.
Participatory art offers another way in. It allows people to slow down, enter a shared creative process, and give form to thoughts, emotions, relationships and questions that may not yet have words.
A gesture. A colour. A trace. A shared image. A different way of being together.
This is where ARTKOM works: in the space where artistic process opens reflection, connection and human presence.
02 · Field
Artist-led, alongside care.
ARTKOM is part of a wider movement that recognises the role of the arts in health, wellbeing and society. Research in the field of Arts & Health increasingly shows that engaging with the arts can contribute to wellbeing, social connection, emotional expression, meaning-making and quality of life.
The World Health Organization has brought together a large body of international evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and wellbeing, showing the relevance of artistic and cultural participation across prevention, health promotion and care contexts.
ARTKOM does not position art as medicine. We do not diagnose, treat or cure. Instead, we work from the belief that art can create conditions in which people reconnect with themselves, others and what matters. Imagination, attention, reflection and shared meaning: dimensions that are deeply human, and often essential in moments of change, pressure or transition.
Informed by international Arts & Health research, including the WHO Europe scoping review on the role of the arts in improving health and wellbeing.
03 · Vision
Aligned with Positive Health
ARTKOM's work resonates with the broader vision of Positive Health, which looks at health not only as the absence of illness, but as the ability to adapt, participate, find meaning and navigate life's physical, emotional and social challenges.
Dimension
Mental wellbeing
Through reflection, attention and expression.
Dimension
Meaningfulness
Through giving form to what matters.
Dimension
Participation
Through shared creative experience.
Dimension
Quality of life
Through beauty, attention and connection.
ARTKOM does not replace healthcare. It offers an artistic and cultural practice that can complement spaces of care, learning, leadership and community.
The method
What is PACT?
PACT is ARTKOM's process-based participatory art method. It brings people into guided creative processes where making, material exploration, reflection and shared experience create space for connection, meaning and wellbeing.
Every ARTKOM experience, from an open atelier for individuals to a long-form residency for an organisation, is shaped by this underlying method.
ARTKOM is the practice you meet. PACT is how the work is held.
04 · Principles
The working principles behind our practice
ARTKOM works with the active principles of participatory art. These principles are not a fixed formula, but a living framework that guides how we design and facilitate creative experiences.
Hospitality
Creating welcoming artistic conditions where people can enter without needing to perform, prove or already know how to make art.
Connection
Opening space for connection with the self, with others and with a shared theme.
Expression
Allowing colour, line, gesture, texture and composition to hold what is not always easy to say.
Transformation
Creating movement in thoughts, emotions and perspectives through creative process, imagination and attention.
Involvement
Inviting people to become active participants rather than passive receivers.
Talent development
Awakening curiosity, creative confidence and personal capacity.
Identity
Supporting voice, agency, self-recognition and belonging.
Humanity
Offering rest, trust, recognition and hope through shared artistic presence.
05 · Practice
How the process unfolds
Every ARTKOM experience is custom-designed, but the practice often moves through five phases.
Step 1
Setting the space
We begin by creating a clear and welcoming artistic frame. The space, materials, rhythm and invitation are carefully prepared so participants can enter the process with trust and curiosity.
Step 2
Entering through material
Participants are invited to work with paint, paper, colour, gesture, texture or other materials. The focus is not on technique or outcome, but on attention, exploration and response.
Step 3
Shared creative process
Making becomes a shared experience. People work individually and collectively, allowing visual traces to emerge. The process creates a field of participation where something can be seen, felt and discovered.
Step 4
Reflection and meaning-making
The artistic traces become starting points for reflection. Participants may speak from what they notice, what surprises them, what resonates, or what the process reveals about themselves, the group or the theme.
Step 5
Integration
The process closes with a moment of gathering. Depending on the context, ARTKOM may create a visual harvest, documentation, a collective artwork, written reflection or follow-up proposal. What happened in the studio can then travel back into life, work or community.
06 · Origin
Rooted in lived and artistic experience
ARTKOM grew from the personal and artistic journey of Nicky Myny. What began during a period of illness became two decades of studio work and 15 years of professional practice at the intersection of painting, participatory art and Arts & Health.
07 · Clarity
What ARTKOM is, and what it is not
ARTKOM is
- ·artist-led
- ·participatory
- ·research-informed
- ·rooted in painting and creative process
- ·grounded in Arts & Health
- ·warm and human
- ·professional and credible
- ·designed around connection, reflection, wellbeing and collective meaning
ARTKOM is not
- ·art therapy
- ·clinical treatment
- ·coaching
- ·a wellness brand
- ·a hobby painting workshop
- ·standard team building
- ·corporate entertainment
- ·a medical intervention
The value of ARTKOM is that it brings the intelligence of artistic practice into spaces where people need connection, imagination, reflection and meaning.
08 · Contexts
For organisations, communities and care contexts
ARTKOM works with organisations, teams, care professionals, communities and individuals who want to create meaningful spaces for reflection and connection, from participatory art experiences for teams to artist-led residencies, creative reflection for care professionals, atelier sessions for individuals and Arts & Health collaborations with cultural, social or care partners.
For organisations
Teams, leadership and institutions
Participatory art experiences for corporates, leadership teams, HR, cultural and public organisations.
Discover →For individuals
Private and small-group atelier
Artist-led sessions to slow down, create, reflect and reconnect through material and colour.
Discover →For care professionals
Arts in Balance (NL)
Creative reflection sessions for doctors, nurses and care teams, in collaboration with Ingrid Hofkens.
Discover →
09 · Begin
Begin with a conversation.
ARTKOM projects are relational, contextual and carefully designed. For organisations, care contexts and partnerships, the best starting point is a discovery call. Together, we explore your context, your people, your question and the kind of artistic process that could serve it.