Opening address

Opening address outlining how the conference explores colour within Applied Arts, Health & Well-being delivered in association with the Journal of Applied Arts & Health and The University of Northampton. Colour my well-being is a conference focused on the interactive relationships of Arts and Health. The emphasis of this conference is to evidence the effectiveness of the interdisciplinary use of arts in health and arts for health, particularly in the area of colour. This conference provides a forum for sharing and debate within a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of arts in healthcare and health promotion. The conference allows for a broad definition of ‘health’ which includes physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, occupational, social and community health. The conference provides artists, researchers, healthcare professionals, educators, therapists, programme administrators, consumers and funding bodies an opportunity to report and reflect upon innovative and effective practices. The effectiveness of applied arts practices is being rigorously researched and this conference provides a vehicle for high quality scholarly activity of a regional and international dimension. The aims of this conference are to share and critique various practices; create innovative connections between the arts and health; probe how knowledge can be advanced by their conjoined application; explore what is meant by ‘evidence’; and interrogate debates and future agendas