Pivots, arts practice and potentialities: Creative engagement, community wellbeing and arts-led research during COVID-19 in Australia

Pre-dating COVID-19 it was widely acknowledged that there was a loneliness epidemic and that prolonged loneliness and reduced human touch results in increased propensity to heart disease, stroke and clinical dementia. Given such statistics, and the use of isolation and shielding as a health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that creative projects or research investigations embed strategies to address the potential fragmentation of community and increased difficulty of social connection. This discussion examines two Australian art-based projects – ‘A Place in Our Art’ and ‘Shorewell Presents … Dear Friend’ – to illustrate the use of arts and cultural activities to maintain and support social connection. The article draws on arts-health and performance theory to unpack project design and outcomes of using both physical and virtual creative art-based engagement strategies in a crisis to entice continued participation and support wellbeing.