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As we assess the long term economic and personal costs of this pandemic, one area which has been particularly hit is the arts, especially the performing arts – with the closure of cultural venues, our artists, musicians, actors and composers are all struggling despite the available government support. This week we learnt that Shakespeare’s Globe theatre called for urgent funding, warning of possible insolvency without extra help. But even when theatres and venues which survive do eventually open, less money and ongoing social distancing measures mean that work and opportunities may continue to be scarce for many. So much potential might simply disappear. As one self employed artist said, the financial impact of Covid-19 goes beyond the loss of wages – it affects our very visibility. Humankind has always focused on survival and what gives meaning to our lives – from the earliest cave paintings to the most sublime orchestral music, art has been intertwined with our existence. Poetry, plays, music and all kinds of visual arts try to capture snapshots of collective human joy, pain and struggle. Yes, art can also be used to control society, it can manipulate and be monetised beyond many peoples reach. But I still think its essence and worth lies in stretching our imagination, inviting us to think and create better worlds. Perhaps the mistake we often make is to consider the arts as luxury, peripheral to our daily lives when for so many the arts are actually an escape from mental and emotional stress. Today, artists themselves are finding creative ways to offer solace and hope - many with online music performances and others like the American Back to the Streets campaign where 1000 artists will create a 1000 murals across cities in America – their message? Hope, positivity and community – ideas which they say will last well into the future even when the world seems like an unhappy place. I’ve often wondered why so much popular artistic expression has faded away in some Muslim societies over the last few decades. Because it seems to me that the Qur’anic verses which ask the faithful to reflect on beauty and justice in creation echoed in the prophetic saying `God is beautiful and he loves beauty’ could inspire so much more that speaks to the complexity of human needs and desires. Art doesn’t always have to be tied to beauty or optimism but it should demand that we think of the moral and aesthetic values of our humanity. While the pandemic has shut down so many theatres and art galleries, as we move forward, art will find a way out, it will still remain visible leaving a legacy of hope for this shared human experience.