‘The Art Cure’ by Daisy Fancourt at Swindon festival

As part of the Swindon Festival of Literature, author and University College London Professor Daisy Fancourt, Art Cure, spoke on Wednesday about what the arts can do for our health.

The researcher opened the evening with the story of Russell, a construction worker who lost his job and suffered a breakdown in relationships due to a stroke.

When his GP prescribed him eight weeks of painting lessons, he was willing to try anything and was amazed to find his mood, pain levels, and tiredness improved during the course.

This personal story gave the audience an instant connection with the topic.

Daisy explained how evidence suggests that we are all artists and that art is intrinsically interwoven with health and healing, as it supports cognitive function, language skills, and can even restore neural pathways following brain injury.

The monetary value of the arts – the positive impact they have on our physical and mental health – is estimated at £18.6 billion, yet arts programmes are often the first to be cut under austerity measures.

Following her introductory mini-lecture, Daisy sat down with Festival Organiser Matt Holland and discussed whether art is measurably good for us (it is), the blurred lines between art and culture, and how judgements can be made around art programme funding.

Daisy spoke with confidence, citing randomised control trials and scientific papers, but also acknowledged that everyone’s perception of what “counts” as art will be different, and that there is creativity and artistry to be found in everyday activities, from sports to doing the washing up.

Questions from the audience asked whether art as a cure was simply a placebo, whether neurodiverse people respond differently, whether you need to be “good” at art for it to work as a cure, and whether different genres of art affect you in different ways.

The conversation between Daisy and Matt was lively, and audience members were keen to raise a hand with a comment or question.

Matt praised the book for championing those working in artistic professions, announcing: “This book helps you defend yourself at dinner parties!”

Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health is available in hardback and audiobook, read by the author.