Journal of Applied Arts & Health - Volume 17, Issue 1, 2026

This issue’s editorial highlights the position of art as a valuable contributor to the healing process which the author proposes is needed in the fractured world today. The editorial reflects on the mission of the Journal of Applied Arts & Health and how it has been foremost in advancing the applied art agenda since the journal’s inception in 2010, arguably ahead of its time, particularly in terms of the health agenda. Promoting art as evidence is mentioned as a key contribution that the journal has made in the field. Where research practices have failed to fully apprehend the uniqueness of understanding contained within art, art itself and its methodologies allow for rich understandings in practice and in life. The editorial introduces the articles and contributions in this issue of the journal, with all demonstrating and affirming the power and potential of art within healing and well-being.

This pilot study explores the impact of traumatic migrations on the mental health of people within the Caribbean diaspora, focusing on storytelling and creative arts as tools for addressing historical trauma. Using a phenomenological approach, it examines how African Caribbean experiences reflect broader histories of colonial violence and migration, utilizing data collection methods such as response art, participant feedback and in-depth group discussion with four creative art therapists. Findings show that storytelling helps inspire discussion, creating pathways for processing trauma, with participants expressing themes of survival, resilience and emotional responses like sadness and hope. Using art-based research, the study connects individual participants’ narratives to the history of enslavement, fostering empathy and offering a therapeutic healing tool. The study highlights the importance of culturally sensitive, intersectional therapy practices, integrating lived experiences to develop transformative multicultural approaches to creative art therapy practice.

Live music in healthcare is becoming a more commonly offered service. Research has surged forward, showing the benefits to patients, families and staff. More hospitals have invested in music and arts programmes, from lobby musicians to music therapists. The value added outweighs the costs as research shows patient satisfaction, staff stress levels and an effective application for pain and anxiety are just some of the many benefits of live therapeutic music. As more hospitals implement live music programmes, trained musicians specializing in healthcare will inevitably need to work together, creating opportunities to enhance the hospital environment and understand each other’s scope of practice. This article provides an overview of current musical disciplines working in health care with suggestions for tailoring a customizable music programme. Tapping available personnel within communities, this proposed illustrative template will be known as Harmony Hospital.

This visual essay shares Tentacular, a participatory collage project exploring care in the context of the climate crisis. Developed during a residency at The Ethics Centre in Sydney, the project invited collaborators – ranging from Elders and artists to scientists and caregivers – to contribute visual responses to climate emotions using a shared collage scaffold. Through co-creation, Tentacular became both a vessel for diverse stories and a method for surfacing emotional and ecological entanglements not easily expressed through traditional research. The process highlighted the potential of collage to navigate the complexity of climate change, enabling symbolic expression and unexpected insights through tactile making. Participants’ contributions revealed metaphors of loss, connection and responsibility, offering an emergent, relational understanding of care across human and more-than-human worlds. This visual essay underscores the power of creative inquiry to deepen engagement with planetary health and collective meaning-making in times of ecological distress.

This interview explores the professional journey, contributions and vision of Aisha Mahmoud Radwan, an expressive arts therapist, psychotherapist, educator and founder of major expressive arts initiatives in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Through dialogue with Professor Mitchell Kossak of Lesley University, Aisha reflects on her interdisciplinary background in art, psychology and somatic practice, her extensive clinical and educational work across international contexts, and her leadership in developing culturally grounded expressive arts training programmes. She highlights the emergence of expressive arts therapy in the MENA region, the growth of professional networks, and the transformative role of creativity in healing, citing some of her projects that have touched people globally, such as the Expressive Arts Egypt Festival, which drew over 160 participants from 40 different countries. The conversation also examines the challenges facing the field and the global movement towards integrative, decolonized and community-centred expressive arts practice.

Review of: Creating Ethnodrama: A Theatrical Approach to Research, Joe Salvatore (2025)

New York: Guilford Press, 266 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-46254-985-6, p/bk, USD 50.00

Review of: 16th International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA) Conference, Endicott College, Beverly, MA, USA, 19–23 June 2025