International Journal of Education & the Arts

Citation: Hess, J., & Dunn, A. H. (2024). The show must (not) go on: Student second responders on days after. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 25(9). http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea25n9

In the wake of collective trauma and tragedy, artists may be called upon as “second responders” to facilitate healing and grief for a community. In this article, we explain the artists-as-second-responders discourse, including the messaging of artists feeling useful, art as diversion, and art as healing. Then, using an example of student-artists compelled to make sure “the show must go on” at Michigan State University in the days after a mass school shooting, we critique the second-responder discourse by arguing that such messaging may cause more harm to artists and facilitate problematic escapism. We also challenge the “call to serve” and offer recommendations for how, on days after, institutions can respond in more trauma-informed and supportive ways. In doing so, we argue that, in fact, the show must not always go on.