Arts-Based Action Research

Arts-based action research is a blanket term that refers to the use of the arts, in various forms, as the basis for inquiry, intervention, knowledge production and/or information sharing. As a research method, arts-based approaches consist of the merging of the conventions of ‘traditional’ qualitative methodologies with those of the arts to allow for deeper research insight, interpretation, meaning making and creative expression, and alternative knowledges and ways of knowing. The use of the arts in research has been taken up in several disciplines including visual anthropology, visual studies in the social sciences, education, community development, medicine and health studies. These methods are becoming increasingly popular as innovative, accessible and exciting approaches for inquiry into the social world. In addition, they are being widely recognized for their ability to engage communities in action research processes that transcend age, education, language and cultural barriers.

Arts-based methods can be used at various stages of the research process. Often merged with more traditional qualitative approaches to data collection such as interviews and focus groups, arts-based methods can be an approach for data collection as they capture the reflexive, insightful and creative capacities of participants. The art produced from arts-based approaches can be visually and interpretively analyzed by itself or in congruence with other textual data to add layers of meaning. Arts-based methods can also be employed in the dissemination of research findings as these approaches produce excellent media with which to share information in an accessible way that evokes an emotional response, connection and conversation. Art can sometimes convey multiple messages and provide a deeper level of connection than other forms of representation. Art can help people interrogate questions and further abstract or concretize complex ideas. Arts-based methods can be employed on a continuum as a tool to engage people in highly participatory and community-oriented, solitary or professional settings, making these approaches dynamic research tools.

Importantly, arts-based methods are not exclusive to research and have been more widely used in organizational and advocacy settings to represent and express opinions on pressing social and political issues, communicate information and inform more direct forms of intervention. For example, using the streets, sidewalks and virtually any public space as their setting or stage, actors and/or advocates utilize costumes, props and creative posters and imagery to engage the larger public in performance or popular theatre. In other initiatives, murals, paintings and photographs are used to engage the public in acts of resistance against police violence and the commemoration of loved ones lost to atrocious crimes of the state. Such creative, expressive and arts-based engagement has been employed around the world to disseminate information about and bring attention to political causes and mobilize communities.

This entry further describes specific examples of arts-based methods as approaches to action research. It then explores some of the benefits, challenges and ethical considerations associated with arts-based methods and concludes with the future outlook of work with these approaches.