Waldrep Summary and Reflection: Previous Research

In the research I have completed so far, I came a across the book Art-based Research by Shaun McNiff (1998). This book has been a great introduction to the concepts of art-based research and the possibilities it holds. In the book, McNiff describes his goal as attempting to give arts-based research a level of prominence equal to that of scientific research methods. He defines art-based research as, “a method of inquiry which uses the elements of the creative arts... including the making of art by the researcher, as ways of understanding the significance of what we do within our practice” (p.13). By creating and accepting these new ways of learning, new knowledge will have equally been produced. McNiff details that the, “greatest challenge presented by art-based research is the boundless possibilities” (p.15). Where scientific research can be approached with a sequence of standard procedures, art-based research has no set design and can be approached in many ways. So while there is no step-by-step guide on how to work through art-based research, McNiff details several different examples that illustrate how this method has been utilized by actual researchers. This book will be instrumental in my understanding and application of this research method.

McNiff also authored an article in the text Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Research: Perspectives, Methodologies, Examples, and Issues by J. G. Knowles and A. L. Cole (2008). McNiff provides this quote from Pablo Picasso in his text, “I never made a painting as a work of art, it’s all research” (p. 29). This quote perfectly illustrates the cognitive characteristics that are inherent in creative production. There is a unique type of learning that is formed by such activities which should be harnessed by the intellectual research community.

Knowles, J. G., & Cole, A. L. (2008). Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Research: Perspectives, Methodologies, Examples, and Issues. Thousand Oaks, California. Sage Publications, Inc.

McNiff, S. (1998). Art-based Research. London: Jessica Kingsley Publisher.