Editorial
Mitchell KossakThis editorial explores how art sustains us in times of crisis, anxiety, global instability and uncertainty. The efficacy and value of art have always been to symbolically express that which words alone cannot. The arts play the role of communicator, offering deeper insight and perhaps solace, consolation and support. Engagement in the arts helps us make sense and find balance, courage and stability. This is the basis of art-based research, where the efficacy and value lie in art’s ability to enlarge our constructions of the world and to find and create individual and collective meanings. This editorial gives several examples of recent art-based research studies that demonstrate the power of this methodology. It also outlines the contributions of the authors within this issue, demonstrating first hand how the arts are used to inspire, stimulate and motivate us to address the growing collective anxieties and trauma that are occurring in our world.