The Arts as a Form of Comfort During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Society turns to the arts for comfort, escape, healing, entertainment and intellectual challenge. By attending performances, festivals and events, visiting museums and galleries, studying the arts formally or informally, or producing art either professionally or for leisure, the arts assist with building a sense of individual and community identity. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only denied global societies and audiences with opportunities to engage with the arts in live settings, but it has had a profound effect on the arts sector, with institutions closing their doors, festivals and events cancelled, and the production of art either severely restricted, in hibernation, or at worst abandoned. Millions of artists and arts workers around the world are now unemployed and given the short-term, casual and project-driven nature of much of the sector, many are unable to access government support initiatives designed for more conventional business models. While there are many current challenges for the arts as a result of the pandemic, there has been significant engagement with the arts during lockdown periods, largely through digital technologies and virtual formats. This continued engagement with the arts proposes that once COVID-19 is brought under control, the sector will rebuild and prosper again.