Panel Conversation | The Healing Power of Art and Nature

Join three powerful thinkers as they explore how time spent in nature and experiencing art can improve well-being. Dr. Melissa Lem, Director of PaRx—Canada’s national nature prescription program powered by the BC Parks Foundation; Dr. David Suzuki, award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster; and Paula Toledo, an artist and well-being consultant, will discuss the compelling synergy between nature, art and social connection within our communities. The panel conversation will be moderated by Sirish Rao, the Gallery’s Senior Director of Public Engagement & Learning.

This event will explore the concept of social prescribing, which enables healthcare professionals to make positive intervention in their patients’ lives by connecting them to nature or to an art experience with a prescription to visit a natural park or an art gallery. The speakers will delve into how such prescriptions can foster greater social cohesion and contribute to overall well-being for individuals, and for the planet.

This event is free for members and Access Pass Holders, or with Gallery admission. Doors will open at 1:30 PM, and the event will begin at 2 PM.

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This talk will be simultaneously live-streamed on Zoom.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Dr. Melissa Lem is a family physician who also works in rural and northern communities within Canada. Director of PaRx, Canada’s national nature prescription program powered by the BC Parks Foundation, and President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Dr. Lem is an internationally recognized leader in the field of nature and health. A widely published writer, her work has appeared in media including the CBC, Vancouver Sun, Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette, The Narwhal and National Observer. As a climate change panellist on CBC Radio’s Early Edition, in-house medical columnist for CBC TV Vancouver and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, one of her major priorities is knowledge translation. Dr. Lem was the inaugural winner of University College’s Young Alumni of Influence Award at the University of Toronto, the recipient of the 2022 Adult Nature Inspiration Award from the Canadian Museum of Nature and a 2021 World Parks Week Ambassador. She also sits on the Advisory Committee of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Health and Well-Being Specialist Group.

Dr. David Suzuki is a grandfather, broadcaster, scientist and activist. He has made it his life’s work to help humanity understand, appreciate, respect and protect nature. He is familiar to many television audiences from his 44 years as host of the CBC science and natural history television series The Nature of Things. In 2020, Dr. Suzuki was honoured by The Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also the recipient of the 2021 BC Reconciliation Award, presented by BC Achievement in partnership with the Lieutenant Governor of BC, for his extraordinary work. Dr. Suzuki is a Companion to the Order of Canada and a recipient of UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize for Science and the 2009 Right Livelihood Award. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and holds 33 honorary degrees from universities in Canada, United States and Australia. His written work includes more than 57 books, 20 of them for children.

Paula Toledo is an artist and a well-being consultant. She founded the SocialWell Collective and Ode to Wonder Gatherings to promote well-being in workplaces, schools, art institutions and communities. Toledo holds a Master’s of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and has trained as a Canadian Mental Health Association Advisor for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. In her work, she merges art and evidence-based science to foster social connection and belonging, while promoting research-informed practices for thriving. As a keynote speaker, Paula has addressed designing well-being pathways for art-based social prescriptions to combat loneliness and enhance well-being at the World Congress for International Positive Psychology Association. She was also a panelist at the Collision Conference with Roblox on the topic of the Power of Play and has spoken at WE Day. In her TEDx, she advocated for engaging in wonder and awe to bridge human connection. Known for using art to connect people, her “lost song,” “How Long (Will it Take),” was featured by Rolling Stone Magazine, showcasing her ability to unite communities through music. She has also been featured on CBC Parents and Global TV Morning News, where she was a well-being correspondent. She offers a unique synthesis of art, science and lived experience as a social prescription recipient to educate on ways to promote social fitness.