There are many shared themes and ideas across the fields of arts-based and inclusive research: The arts have the capacity to connect different communities, provide a means of expression, and promote wellbeing at individual and social levels. Researchers into inclusivity often draw on arts-based methods to promote engagement or capture ideas and perspectives.
In the past couple of years, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of arts in promoting wellbeing and inclusivity. However, certain issues of inclusivity within arts education have only grown worse during this period; for example, the decreased opportunities for arts education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the lost specialist support from periods of lockdown or isolation, and the difficult decisions many schools had to make with respect to arts provision. As we emerge from the pandemic and face further crises, such as cost of living, and the residual impact on mental health, how can we promote further inclusivity in, and through, arts education?