Experts talk of how art can be a healer in trouble times

LEADING experts at Edge Hill University have collaborated with prominent arts therapists from around the globe to explore the impact of the arts on health and wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professor Vicky Karkou, director of the university’s Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing, joined experts from the International Arts Therapies Doctoral Alliance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for a virtual discussion, Arts and Therapies in the Time of the Pandemic.

Guest speakers and panellists presented research on the physiological and psychological benefits of the arts, including the prevention and treatment of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Discussions focused on the contributions that arts therapies can make to tackle isolation, loneliness, offer opportunities for resilience and support wellbeing.

Prof Karkou, also the Chair of Arts and Wellbeing at Edge Hill, said: “During unprecedented times such as this, the need to get resourced, connected and resilient becomes vital. The arts can play an important role to meet this need.”

The online summit featured a series of presentations, panel discussions and workshops that have all been recorded and showcased online.

It included a keynote presentation by Christopher Bailey, WHO Arts & Health Lead. In his address, Christopher explored the healing power of the arts.

He said: “Empathy is the driver of the arts. It is also the driver of healthcare. The notion of the magic ‘what if’ is to take information from around you and imagine what could be. The arts serve a different purpose – it is to create an emotional reality by which we can understand what is happening.’’

The Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing engages in multidisciplinary research activities, drawing expertise across three main strands: research on performance, community/workplace projects and clinical research.