The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this article and they do not necessarily represent the views, decisions or policies of the institutions with which they are affiliated. NS and NF are co-leads of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab in collaboration with the WHO–Lancet Global Series on the Health Benefits of the Arts. Financial support for the series has been provided by Community Jameel, a global philanthropic organisation, to NYU Steinhardt and the WHO Regional Office for Europe. We declare no other competing interests. We wish to acknowledge the editorial support provided by Christopher Bailey, Raquel Chapin Stephenson, Ian Koebner, Susan Magsamen, Hod Orkibi, Pier Luigi Sacco, Jill Sonke, and Stephen Stapleton.