Celebrating Community: Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 at the MAC
This Mental Health Awareness Week (12–18 May 2025), we at the MAC are proud to join the national conversation around mental wellbeing, embracing this year's theme: Community. As a creative hub in the heart of Belfast, we understand that community isn't just about geography—it's about connection, belonging, and shared purpose.
At the MAC, we've long recognised the unique pressures faced by those in the creative sector. The challenges of irregular work, high standards, and financial insecurity can take a toll on mental wellbeing. That's why we've implemented initiatives to support our staff and the wider arts community. Our Employee Assistance Programme offers confidential support, and our trained Mental Health First Aiders are always available to lend a listening ear.
Building Community Through the Arts
Art has the power to bring people together, fostering understanding and empathy. Through our diverse programming, we create spaces where individuals from all walks of life can connect and find solace. Whether it's through participating in a workshop, attending a performance, or simply enjoying a quiet moment in our galleries, the MAC is a place where community thrives.
On Thursday, 15 May, we’re hosting Holding Space in partnership with Counterpoints Arts. This event will explore the intersection of mental health, displacement, and art, and how creative practice can help us process collective and personal trauma in challenging times. You can find more about this free event here.
Climate in Action: Creativity and Collective Care
This year, our 2025–26 theme Climate in Action invites us to explore how the climate crisis intersects with our emotional and psychological wellbeing. Feelings of anxiety, grief, and helplessness are increasingly common as we face environmental challenges. Through exhibitions like We Lose Sight of the Night by Aisling O’Beirn, we open up space for reflection, dialogue, and creative response to these complex emotions.
Longstanding Partnerships for Wellbeing
Through our MACtivate programme, we’re proud to continue our partnership with Action Mental Health, with whom we've collaborated for over six years. Together, we’ve created opportunities for people with lived experience of mental ill-health to engage with the arts in meaningful and empowering ways.
“At the MAC, we believe mental health should never be an afterthought,” says Lisa McGinley, Director of the MAC. “It’s an essential part of who we are and how we work. Whether you are part of our team, a visiting artist, or an audience member, we want everyone to feel safe, respected, and supported — because community care is at the heart of creativity.”
As we look to the future, we remain committed to deepening our role as a creative space that not only showcases art, but actively nurtures the wellbeing of those who create and engage with it. Mental health awareness isn’t a single week in our calendar — it’s a year-round priority, woven into the culture of the MAC and the community we serve.
