Routledge Handbook of Arts and Health

The arts and health is established as a distinct academic discipline, with international journals (e.g., Arts & Health), a growing evidence base including dissemination (e.g., a World Health Organisation [WHO] scoping review), expanding practice and policy recommendations (e.g., arts in social prescribing), and specific organisations for advocacy and dissemination (e.g., National Centre for Creative Health in the United Kingdom). The aim of this handbook was ambitious, to comprehensively chart these prodigious developments: to define the discipline of the arts and health, explain why it is important, and to survey historical developments, current practice, research and theory. We aimed to do this with a critical perspective, and with consideration of emerging and future directions. We acknowledge the interdisciplinary and cross-cultural nature of the field and sought to reflect this in the Handbook as much as possible. We follow the definition of the arts, as described by Jennifer Baxley Lee and colleagues in this Handbook, (p. 29), "as a broad range of modes (ways in which people engage, including informal, formal, live, virtual, individual, and group participation) and forms (artistic practices or disciplines with which people engage), including various ways in which people can engage with the arts as makers/creators, performers, collaborators, audiences/observers, and consumers", which encapsulates various uses of the arts throughout this Handbook. Likewise, health, by the authors of the Handbook, generally follows that of the WHO (1947), defined as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity", and is based on a biopsychosocial ecological model, rather than a purely biological model. This opens up a plethora of ways in which the arts can interact with health, which this Handbook seeks to highlight and signpost. The Handbook draws on the expertise of leading figures in the field of the arts and health globally and we are grateful for their time, insights and contributions to this collection. We have felt honoured to glimpse into the rich perspectives of authors of this Handbook and by so doing deepen our own understanding and appreciation. These are structured in five sections, in order to provide an understanding of: 1) Context: an historical and contextual perspective on the arts and health, defining the field and considering the current evidence base; 2) Domains of art: providing examples of how the visual arts, creative writing, music, dance, and drama are used in practice to improve health and wellbeing; 3) Populations: how the arts can be used across the lifespan to help with specific health needs, working with specific groups, from perinatal care to palliative care; 4) Settings: how the arts are applied in allied professions, e.g., public health, psychiatry and occupational therapy, and settings, e.g., hospitals, museums and educational settings; and finally, section 5) Theoretical perspectives: which considers different approaches to understanding the health benefits of the arts, including systems theory, sociological, biological and psychological lenses, as well as discussing ethical and epistemological issues essential to practice and knowledge acquisition. The handbook ends by noting trends, complexities and future directions for the field. 

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