It's time to get started with our reading for the semester. I selected books that I felt best represented a feminist approach to "doing" research. Our main text will be the Leavy book on arts-based research methods. Although the book is not specifically titled "feminist," Patricia Leavy has authored or co-authored several important works on feminist research methods. I selected this book because it is specific to research in the arts and interests we all have in common.
I will not assign you to read every chapter in the book. Chapters 4 and 6, which focus on music and dance, do not for the most part address your particular research interests. However, since half of you are doctoral students in Critical Studies & Artistic Practice - a multi/cross/transdisciplinary program engaging all the Schools (Art, Theater, Music) within the College of Visual & Performing Arts - I think these chapters could be relevant to someone in the class. Chapters 4 and 6 will not be assigned, but if you need them now or at some point in the future, you'll know where to find them.
This week we will read the first chapter in Leavy's book. (Note: Liz might not participate in this week's blog because I sent her the book list late.) I'm going to begin with some straightforward questions. We will get into broader discussion topics later on. Also, each of you will have a chance to author your own discussion topics/questions based on the readings at some point during the semester. For now, I'll take the lead.
First Question:
Leavy begins her book by juxtaposing "Positivist Science" with the "Qualitative Paradigm," outlining the differences between them. If this is new information for you, as I expect it may be for a few, please respond to this question by quickly summarizing the main differences between the two research paradigms. For example, you might explain how each thinks of "truth." You might also say something about the historical (and ongoing) tension between the two research paradigms. One of these two approaches is still seen as "stronger" and more suitable to the "hard" sciences than the other, which by comparison is seen as "soft" and "not serious." The traditional masculine/feminine split plays a role in this long-standing bias.
Second Question:
What social movements contributed to the development of the Qualitative research paradigm? Situate these movements in historical time, re: 1930s, '40s, '50s, etc. You might also mention place: Europe? Asia? North America? South America? Africa? Eastern Europe? Multiple places at once? (This can get complicated. A general statement ((1-3 sentences)) will suffice if you choose to go into it.)
Third Question:
What are some of the main features of Arts-Based Research? What do these features have in common with contemporary feminism?
Fourth Question:
In your opinion, what are the beauties of Arts-Based research practice? What are its difficulties?
Important: I realize you could write pages & pages in response to these questions. Please do not write pages & pages. Hit the main points of your response and move on. Read each other's comments first. If you see that someone has already said what you were going to say, you can acknowledge it ("I agree with ____'s analysis/comment/observation"), but then go on to say something new. If you're the last person to post, this could get challenging, so post early and often!
Please ask questions if you need clarification. I am not perfect; I sometimes forget to mention something or fall short of expressing myself in the best way possible. If you aren't sure about something I've said, chances are someone else in the class is thinking the same thing. There are no stupid questions! So please, go ahead & fire away.
I look forward to reading your responses. You don't need to answer all in one post - you may wish to take the questions one day or one post at a time. Whatever works for you is fine with me.
carolyn
All,
ReplyDeleteI've been asked about the syllabus, which states there will be something this week about citing sources in APA style. I've decided to put that off until a little later in the semester, if that's okay with you. Right now, I want to focus on reading and blogging.
Also, I want to assure you that we ALL have a lot to learn from each other. We are in different programs, which means we have different areas of expertise. I do not expect the doc students to have the same set of skills and understandings as the MAE students, and vice-versa. It might help to think of this class as two mini-classes (3 people each) in one.
I have different expectations of the two minis. Because I have had most of you in class already, I know your strengths as well as your objectives as students. I will use this experience to inform my understanding of your blog responses. I will gauge the quality of your responses without comparing you to each other (& that goes for students within the same mini-class as well).
If you can't relate to what a student from another program writes in response to a blog topic or question, please don't feel obligated to interact with them. I expect you to interact more with the students in your own program - at first anyway. This may change as the semester goes on. Go at your own pace and do what's comfortable for you.
If you have any questions about this or anything else, please let me know. I am happy to respond to your concerns. You can post your questions here in or a private email to me at c.erler@ttu.edu or cerler16@gmail.com.
Thanks & take care,
carolyn
First Question
ReplyDeletePositivist Science was based on physics by Emile Durkheim. The premise is that the social world can be based on social facts that could be studied through objective, scholarly means. The process consists of knowledgeable “truths” which can be measured by neutral observers.
Qualitative Paradigm uses an inductive approach to research. This method requires the researcher to develop a rapport with the participants. The focus group method emerged as a tool.
The differences between Positivist and Qualitative are stark; rational-emotional; concrete-abstract.
Second Question
Positivist Science emerged in the late 1800’s out of Europe’s rationalist movement.
Qualitative Paradigm began in the 1920’s in the University of Chicago School of Sociology. It was furthered by Erving Goffman's book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.
The social justice movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s made an enormous impact on academy by asking new questions and reframing old ones.
Third Question
ReplyDeleteArt-Based research is useful for projects that need to describe, explore, or discover. The ability to capture the process is also a benefit of this type of research.
The process gives voice to subjugated perspectives that emerged from the social justice movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s of which feminism is one.
Fourth Question
The beauty of Art-Based research is the wider audience that can enjoy the efforts of the researcher.
So much effort and time is expended on research that never sees the light of day outside a university’s walls. Art is so vital to humanity, but it is often relegated to only the “sophisticated and educated” to enjoy. Art is for all. Art-based research includes the voiceless.
The down side of art-based research is that the funding that is necessary to conduct research is generally bestowed on the hard sciences. The upper administrators and donors don't always take art-based research seriously.
I just had to comment on this before actually discussing the questions. This reading is spot on for someone with my interest with conducting a theoretically sound art practice centered on the public culture and social engagement. I am fascinated with the idea of being hyperconscious of where we derive and how we interpret new knowledge as well as how, we as researchers, employ this same hyperconsciousness in our approach to present or represent new knowledge outward.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but think of a quote by Steve Colbert in a recent interview. It went something like this: "we [regarding his show] cast ourselves into the socio-political environment and then record and report on the ripples we make."
Along these lines, I also can't help but reflect back on Hunter S. Thompson's "Gonzo Journalism" and how he interjected himself as a participant in the events he was covering. Both of these self-conscious attempts of providing information imply a reaction against conventional assumptions towards "objective" journalism... Not that I care too much of journalism in the first place, but I couldn't help but find a correlation.
more to come...
So I’m going to tackle question 1 with a thought on the masculine/ feminine split.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to see an early mention of “standpoint” epistemology in regards to how it signifies an awareness of how “hierarchical social order produces different ‘standpoint’” (p.7) With this in mind we can get a feel for a polarizing distinction. Positivist science feels pre-packaged as institutionally accepted; almost sterilize in its approach to conducting research and providing generalized results. Opposing this would be the pursuit of knowledge that comes out of the awareness that there are people who’s relation to and engagement with the world is oppressed or marginalized by the select few governing or dictating what is acceptable.
As Leavy mentions; “Through their attention to power dynamics in the research process, many feminists also began a critical discourse about related issues and practices such as voice, authority, disclosure, representation and reflexivity.” (p.7) All of these areas are defined by highly individualized conceptions. This approach to understanding through the individual’s unique engagement with the world generates a type of knowledge that can be highly relevant when appreciated as coming from the opinions of those being neglected. It adds richness in depth to otherwise shallow and sweeping conclusions. Unfortunately, it can also be easily disregarded when unjustly scrutinized by those lacking sensitivity for anything other than hard and fast generalities.
Also, is it just me or does Positivist science come off as doing just enough to look like its doing something?
Frank, the last sentence made me laugh! I couldn't agree more. I think the research who doesn't get their hands dirty when studying people's behavior makes a lot of assumptions that fit their preconceived theories.
DeleteJenise, I totally agree. And at the same time, I believe there's something worthwhile in discovering universals in human behavior. I strive towards that in my work connecting photography and contextual sensitivity with visual literacy but its just unfortunate that so many researchers still consider uncovering universals as the pinnacle...to them, its the only game in town.
DeleteNumber 2...
ReplyDeleteJust as quick disclaimer in case I misunderstood. I am going to simply paraphrase from the essay without citations. I think that’s right… right?
Positivist science emerged out of the European rationalist movement in the 19th century. It was based on the conception of the scientific method. Durkheim’s work to legitimize sociology in mid-century helped to parallel the social world with the natural world with a sense that the social environment is also governed by rules and patterns. In time, ethnography, as it was conducted at the University of Chicago in the 1920s solidified the use of qualitative methods in sociology.
In a less defined movement, the 1940s saw health-care researchers as well as sociologist occupying their time with focus-group methods of surveying. And in the 1960s and 1970s, the social justice movement (civil, women’s and gay rights) helped forward academia’s acceptance of issues pertaining to what was previously marginalized populations. While Feminist around this time began calling into question the dualism that positivism was grounded in.
Within the past three decades, as the influence of globalization became a defining presence, the understanding of what was qualitative research and how it could be conducted broadened to include a vast range of areas of concentrations such as postmodernism and psychoanalysis.
Finally, to refine this progression more specifically to our concerns, it was postmodernism’s incorporation of qualitative research that has pushed the idea of art-based methods forward into a wider field of acceptance.
Here's to question one:
ReplyDeletePositivist Science: empiricism, emerged in the late 1800's for knowledge-building research in the social sciences (based on physics by Durkheim), was based on the "scientific method" established in the natural sciences. It was based on a belief that a knowable reality existed independent of the research process--this "knowable truth" could be discovered, measured and controlled via an objective means employed by neutral researchers."(p 5) Used deductive methods and presumed objectivity. Looked at the social world like the natural world, with rules, patterns and causal relationships, that could be studied and explained. Felt social reality was predictable and potentially controllable. A quantitative paradigm.
Qualitative paradigm:
used a diverse range of methods and methodological practices and is inductive rather than deductive in approach.
Experiential rather than a set truth.
The problems faced by qualitative researcher, it was a new paradigm and thus needed new methods to validate, achieve trustworthiness, new concepts to identify benchmarks. Often, evaluation concepts and techniques applied were based in the quantitative paradigm.
This info in this form is very new to me, although I am familiar with the issues and concerns so far.
AllisonB, don't feel alone. This is pretty new to me too. I am familiar with focus groups. They are frequently used in graphic design to take the temperature of the perceived audience. I didn't know the history behind it, so this is exiting for me to see the evolution of this method of research.
DeleteQuestion Two:
ReplyDeleteThe social movements (and historical points) that contributed to the development of the Qualitative research paradigm included Univ of Chicago, 1920's utilizing ethnography to study urbanization; this challenged positivists assumptions about social reality. In the 1940's Sociologists and Health Care researchers utilized the focus-group interview method for market research. 1959, Erving Goffman's book (Presentation of self in everyday life) dramaturgy, looks like 'we' are always 'on' as social life is a conceptualized series of performances (of various kinds). Is this the root of the cult of celebrity we have today? 1960's and 70's: the Civil Rights Movement, (second-wave) Women's Movement and the Gay Rights Movement. Further development of the Feminists Movement with "standpoint" (Francesco covered that quite nicely).
More influences, some seen to be others likely will be...The rise of globalization, the world economy,and job outsourcing to (Mexico, Central and South America) Latin America, China, and India. The corporate influences surrounding oil, gold and diamonds in Africa. The Arab spring and other governmental upheavals--changes in media bring this into our living rooms. Computers and the digital age. And theoretical schools of thought: postmodernism, post-structuralism, post-colonialism...
Question Three:
ReplyDeleteThe main features of Arts-Based Research:
there are four stages: problem identification, literature review, methods and results. Presentation of results: (re)presenting a set of meanings to an audience. (11)
These practices are a process which aim to describe, explore or discover.(12) Their Arts connection provides an immediacy. The qualities of Arts-Based research: they are effective for communicating the emotional aspects of social life, useful in identity work, give voice to subjugated perspectives (13) (like contemporary feminism). It is also interdisciplinary (like feminism) it is without specific jargon so it can be understood by a wider audience- public sociology. It evokes meanings, not denotes them (14) which can open the work for multiple meanings.
Jenise, Allison, and Francesco have astutely stated the differences between quantitative and qualitative research. Since I am new to the idea of arts-based research and have never read a book about this concept before, I feel as though I have plunged into a giant pool of new words and terminology! I quickly realized that I was confused; was art a form of scientific social research? I had always thought of art as a way of expressing or communicating; how can art be a method of collecting data and proving theories? Then, I began to think of Leonardo da Vinci, the consummate artist/scientist; melding the skills of acutely observing the world around him with communicating to the world through his artwork the understanding that he had gained from that observation. Art and science are natural partners in knowledge acquisition and “meaning-making.”
ReplyDeleteTo me, the quantitative method of scientific theory that I learned in science class during my long past days of high school regarded only those facts as true which could be measured: the cold, hard facts! Basically, the quantitative theory wants to put a number on any element or variable that is part of the question asked by the researcher. That must also explain why the quantitative mode of research is most supported by the financial institutions, who are also in the business of numbers: they love to count the cold, hard cash!
Suzanne, Here's the great thing about connecting art as a form of expression and a mode of communication... we can take it a step further. Once it is an expression communicating something it becomes something influential. These effects can be speculated on and conclusions can be made. By doing this, we are not so much attempting to get something right but rather simply trying to extend the discussion just a little farther. At least thats how I perceive it.
DeleteAlso, I think a big part of why hard facts and quantitative efforts are so well-suited within the dynamics of the corporate world is because value is placed on simplicity and clear, definitive distinctions in that sphere. The "they" in this sense like their information easily digestible with no loose ends to have to contemplate. Its like Ralph from the Simpsons..."thinking hurts my head."
What are the beauties of arts-based research?
ReplyDeleteIts ability to reach audiences.
Its ability to underscore the value of the arts to our society.
Its ability to connect us with our humanness.
Its ability to provoke dialogue, evoke meanings, raise consciousness and give voice.
Its difficulties:
It is working against a system of established expectations for research.
It deals with creativity and problem solving-- often considered dangerous to a culture wanting no surprises, no change, "those groups limited by their own biased "common-sense" ideas" (13).
Well-said, Allison, you hit the nail on the head! I especially liked what you said about "connecting with our humanness." The best art provokes dialogue, is evocative, makes us think, and either disturbs or stirs us to action!
DeleteI agree: Art making is the ultimate problem-solving exercise and the most divergent thinkers are the ones who will come up with those new ideas that will make a radical difference in our fragile existence.
The beauties that I can begin to ascertain from Arts-Based research practice are that art is the ultimate form of communication. For me, art is life, itself. Art transcends culture, language, gender, and generational differences. Making art together brings people closer; they gain understanding of each other through that lively process of creating.
ReplyDeleteThe Arts-based research practice is holistic; it is inductive! We can just dive in and immerse ourselves in the the research; then we begin to see patterns and commonalities. All of this is beautiful to me. I must confess, I started reading ahead in the book to see if I could begin to get the “big picture” (I am a holistic learner!) and I am excited about where this all could take us!
I have a question.... why are the time/date stamps on the postings wrong? It is now 12:31 am Jan 28, Sunday morning....
ReplyDeleteI am wondering the same thing!
DeleteI think Google has added a lot of functionality to their search engine (which runs this site) which has created a host of bugs. I noticed that my avatar is now a triangle with an exclaim action point. I changed my image at the beginning if the semester and now it is gone.
DeleteI have posted in the past via my iPad. Friday it would not allow the post, but yet this morning it appears to be working.
All,
ReplyDeleteSorry I haven't responded earlier. I haven't been receiving notifications on my gmail account, which led me to believe that most of you hadn't yet posted. Then I checked the blog and saw how wrong I was!
Francesco, about Picasa.... I believe you need to create your own album, then link it to our blog's album. At least that's what Jenise has done. I haven't yet found a way for you to directly upload images to the class Picasa album, although all my settings say it should be possible. This is my first semester using Picasa, so admittedly I still have a lot to learn. Hopefully we can figure it out together. For now, the best advice I can give it to create your own album and link it to our class album. You can do this through your gmail account settings.
As for citing or paraphrasing, you may do either. Just cite the page number, as Allison did in her postings. If you quote from a text other than the one we are reading from, please include reference information at the bottom of your post and use APA style. There are links on this blog to show correct APA format.
I don't know why the time stamps are wrong. I imagine this will remain a mystery of the universe that only Carl Sagan could have solved, if only he were still around! A-Ta knows how much I love Carl Sagan.
About the "black triangle"... the symbolism of this makes me laugh. But seriously, I don't know why it's showing up instead of our profile pix. I know I have a profile picture, but still the ominous black triangle keeps showing up. Maybe the government is trying to tell me something? And now it's happening to Jenise too. Glad I'm not the only one.
(see next posting)
Okay, and now about your responses. Not everyone has posted yet, but so far I am very, very pleased by your reaction to the reading. I had the same thought when I encountered Leavy's book. But Francesco is right, it is hard to get arts-based research taken seriously in academia. Positivism is still the predominant paradigm, which is why many academics encourage students to include some form of quantitative analysis in their research. This holds particularly true at the doctoral level, and it's no joke. Doctoral students who hope to enter academia as faculty members some day, take note.
ReplyDeleteJenise and Allison, your responses to Question #1 lead one to believe that Emile Durheim was a physicist. Was he? Please re-read the paragraphs about his relationship to the positivist paradigm, and identify his professional field.
Suzanne, arts-based research is indeed a gift to those of us whose strengths lie in the arts. It is a new paradigm with many parallels to feminist, queer, critical race and post-colonial research - all fields that sprang up from the Civil Rights movement of the '60s.
I'm glad some of you mentioned that the Civil Rights movement was not exclusive to North America. In fact, there is a documentary running on PBS - "Have you Heard from Johannesburg?"
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/jan-june12/historylesson_01-13.html
which points out the linkages between the North American Civil Rights/Black Power Movement to the African National Congress and the anti-Aparheid struggle in South Africa.
Many African American political activists and activist-citizens emigrated to nations across Africa during this time to help in the crisis.
(see next posting)
I didn't mean to imply Durkheim was a physicist. He was actually a French sociologist who by some accounts is considered the father of socialogy. Leavy stated that Durkheim molded his research after methods used in physics in order to legitimize his research.
DeleteNo, I believe he was a Sociologist but used the research model of physics since it was an acceptable model...
DeleteFeminism , of course, continues to resonate across the world in ever-evolving ways. If you missed "The Blue Bra" incident in Cairo last week, please watch this video captured by cell phone & instantly broadcast across the world:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/12/21/144098384/the-girl-in-the-blue-bra
Since this is a class on Feminist Research Methods, I want to say a few introductory words about women's rights and feminism. There are many different forms of feminism. White middle class western-style feminism does not work for women of color in the U.S. or for most women throughout the world. In Russia and former Soviet-Bloc nations, for example, the notion that women are equal to men reeks of Stalinism. In some parts of the Middle East, the assumption that women are oppressed by the burqa stinks of western colonialism. Women's rights is an extraordinarily complex issue that requires close case-by-case (culturally specific) analysis, and a strong imperative to practice forms of cultural sensitivity such as listening to what real women have to say and not imposing our own values.
Leavy's book is rooted in western feminism, which is appropriate since she herself is a westerner. The feminist research practices she advocates provide a solid starting point for conducting many different types of research projects. The practices are rooted in values of humility and respect for the voices, viewpoints and lives of others. The humility part means that we cannot know the truth about anything. We do not have access to truth because we are limited beings with only a partial understanding of what goes on around us. Common sense tells us that we never fully know ourselves, another person or group of people. Today's common sense, however, is a recent development.
(see next posting)
The idea that truth was knowable to an elite few (white male aristocrats) informed western thought (philosophy, scientific inquiry, political theory, military strategy, etc.) starting in the 1500s, peaking during imperialist expansion, slavery and colonial domination, and crumbling after WWII, when the west had to confront its own savagery. Hence, in the decades after WWII, the voices of women and history's "others" (the formerly colonized, enslaved and/or otherwise silenced) found a space to be heard.
ReplyDeleteSo here we are. The remnants of western certitude and patriarchal authority remain strong in academia, politics and commerce. But they are under constant attack by history's outsiders (witness the broad public influence of Occupy Wall Street). As artists, we are outsiders. I don't need to tell you that artists have always been outsiders! It stands to reason, therefore, that our research practices would be wildly different from those of traditional sciences. These research practices are wonderful and exciting - perfect for us! We welcome this development with tremendous excitement. Be warned, though, that entrenched power and authority doesn't like to be stepped on. It will do anything to keep others in marginalized positions.
I have gone on too long! Thank you for reading this (if you have). I welcome your comments, responses, rebuttals, contributions, corrections, protests and anything else you have to add. I loved reading your comments, and look forward to forthcoming posts as not everyone has chimed in yet. I will keep a close eye on the blog today and try to respond as soon as questions or comments come in.
Thanks & take care...
carolyn
Although Jenise, Frank, Allison and Suzanne has clearly pointed out the differences between Positivist Science and Qualitative Paradigm, I will still like to list the differences between them for myself as notes of my reading.
ReplyDeletePositivist Science:
Positivist Science emerged in the late 1800s from Europe. This scientific method was first applied on the natural sciences and meant to looking for “truth” with an objective research. Positivists believe there is a reality that truth could be discovered. Then, Emile Durkheim, a classical sociologist made efforts to legitimize positivism principles in sociology field. From social positivist’s point of views, “social reality is predictable and potentially controllable.”(p.5)
Qualitative Paradigm:
Different from Positivist Science, qualitative paradigm focuses on the relationship, collaboration with his or her research participants. Beginning from 1920’s, qualitative researchers (most of them are from Chicago School of Sociology) started to employ qualitative methods for their studies. Qualitative researchers address on the interaction between them and their participants. Through building standpoints from different groups, qualitative researchers make the marginalized knowledge visible.
One thing that I would like to discuss about is the concept of the “truth” of positivist’s. For Positivists, there is a truth exist in the nature, and they build their knowledge according the “truth”. In this perspective, they will do everything to following the truth. However, what I am wondering is who “creates” the truth? And the problem is that if someone controls the meanings of truth in a society, he or she will control the society.
Delete#3...
ReplyDeleteArt-based research focuses on literary, visual and performative aspects of cultural productions. It rejects the idea of objectivity or a perceived neutrality in its sourcing of possible meanings. It is usually localized in some manner and also usually exists in an evolutionary state; its process is dynamic rather than static.
Art-based research also occupies itself with conceptual subject matter directed usually through a clearly subjective perspective of either an individual or small cohort conducting work with a specifically social intentionality. This begins to point to Feminism’s approach to elevate the significance of the individual perspective. There is a sense that the search to locate the meaning in some type cultural product is just as significant as whatever final meaning can be derived from it.
One more important feature mentioned is the fact that this type of research is more suitable in reaching larger, non-academic audiences. I think it is crucial to acknowledge this point and expound on it momentarily… Its all good fun that we academics can come together and get our “geek on” in our hermetically sealed microcosm but a small part of us might need to acknowledge that theory lacking action only provides more theory to be theorized.
Finally, as mentioned, art-based research is an excellent approach to discovering and describing the unfolding nature of our social life. Its ability to not have to rely on systematic or conventional paradigms in interpretation is certainly a highly appealing feature for those of us who enjoy swimming in the ambiguity that accompanies our desire of coming up with our own conclusions.
Francesco, very well put! The Arts have always been the first and foremost method of "keeping a finger upon the pulse" of societal concern...think of Picasso's "Guernica", which became a symbol of anti-war sentiment for all time, starting with his own. His painting shows the facts of the bombing of this small village by the Nazi Luftwaffe, as Rudolf Arnheim writes, for Picasso: "The women and children make Guernica the image of innocent, defenseless humanity victimized. Also, women and children have often been presented by Picasso as the very perfection of mankind. An assault on women and children is, in Picasso's view, directed at the core of mankind." I believe that art is the ultimate language to communicate with the world. Art can and does change the world.
Delete#2
ReplyDelete1920s Chicago School of Sociology began using ethnography and related methods.
1940s sociologists and health care researchers employed the focus-group interview method.
Then, between 1960s and 1970s the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the gay rights movement (in the United States).
Also, globalization , a changing media and economic landscape influenced alternative
#4
ReplyDeleteSo this is where I might come off as excessively pretentious. I have trouble with the word beauty. I can’t help but see it and all its connotations as part of what I perceive to be negatively influencing art’s potential of reaching what little remains of uniqueness in an individual’s consciousness. The idea of beauty has been co-opted in our understanding of everything from freckles to advanced weaponry. The effects of which has normalized our comprehension of everything labeled “beautiful”
Associating beauty with art has, to me, become a major distraction in a viewer’s personal engagement with art. We’ve constructed elaborate and extensive standards to judge beauty by. These standards occupy our time, corrupting our individual capacity to look into something through our own eyes. Instead, we are conditioned to experience art through a conscious or unconscious awareness of what is or is not a socially acceptable level of beauty.
I strive to find my own sense of beauty in art. But before doing so, I acknowledge my own hypersensitivity towards the word beauty. It is like using a thesaurus. I try to find a better word—one that conveys more closely the nuances of what I am perceiving. Doing this allows my unique concept and appreciation of a work to have more defined and sharper edges. This gives me a more individualized articulation of what the effects the work is having on me.
What is most appealing to me in art-based research is how it allows us exist in this irresistible grey area between being mature enough to conduct rigorous research while still allowing ourselves the freedom to explore unassuming fascinations and child-like curiosities. And this is what ignites our creativity… am I too old to say it is awesome?
In my experience, the major difficulty has been bridging the gap between intentionality and interpretation. Much of my work deals with reinserting photographic imagery back into its original context…Exhibit A: http://youtu.be/1LIkG-r8-jM
The work itself usually generates an engagement with photography that contradicts what most viewers would consider an aesthetic experience. The nature of the work is inseparable from its intentionality; everything from logistics to image making to final presentation is highly constructed to provide a pinpoint-like moment of engagement.
Unfortunately, it has taken me years to redefine the work in order to come to terms with this gap. In doing so, I’ve come to learn to let go of expectations. Now, I’ve accepted the work as existing purely for my own selfish desires; as simple learning devices for my theories on contextual sensitivity.
Here is my question...
ReplyDeleteIf art-based research is more conducive to reaching the non-academic audience, is it also possible to engender this same audience with the desire and confidence to begin taking it upon themselves to conduct their own art-based research? In a way, don't we all conduct our own little researches in life? We try out different behaviors, different styles of clothes, and even different coffees to see what works best for us. Additionally, there are night classes everywhere where people try some type of creative pursuit as a hobby of sorts. So then, what does it take for individuals or small groups of concerned, non-academics to become invested enough to start using art-based research as a means of finding more enriching engagements within their own communities and neighborhoods?
Holy smokes, you guys are burnin' up the blog! I wish we were all in a room together to have this conversation. It's hard to respond to everyone's comments & ideas.
ReplyDeleteI do want to say, however, that if you have not read theory before, you will have to learn some new words. That's good. New words lead to new ideas, which together expand consciousness. Leavy's book is not densely theoretical. This means you will not be crushed by an avalanche of alien verbiage, which I admit can be overwhelming, not to mention intimidating. Sometimes it's good to keep a vocabulary list as you read. That's what I did when I first started reading theory. You will soon find that many of words have corollaries in everyday language.
Academics need to feel important, you see! We do it by inventing fancy words that often have quite ordinary meanings.
Inventing fancy words... I can't help but think of Heidegger, the master of combining words to create new ones.
Delete#4
ReplyDeleteArts-Based Researches focus on processes (it can show the processes that traditional methods can not capture by using new technologies, for example, using digital camera to archive a performance.) and can be employed to evoke and provoke emotion, draw audience’s attention strongly, create critical awareness or raising consciousness, useful in studies involving identity work, promote dialogue and bring academy wider audiences.
Arts-Based Research is hard to be evaluated.
Arts-Based Research has to fight with well built criteria in the academy.
I think if there is any person I agree with, it is Patricia's father. "Although highly educated himself, he responded that he was proud of me but unable to read my work--it "looks impressive but there is too much jargon, I just don't get it." (Pg. vii)
ReplyDeleteIt's has taken me the last 2 hours to decipher the language on ALL readings and postings. Maybe I should be thrown into some Qualitative Paradigm research because I have had an inductive approach to knowledge-building tonite. I have 2 pages of newly acquired vocabulary words that I had to find an app to just help me pronounce them. I just got my book yesterday and am doing my best to post. I can honestly say, "I agree with everything that ya'll said, I couldn't have said it better!" Just kidding, I will throw my two cents in :)
Thank you Liz, because I am a little overwhelmed as well. I admit that I read the assignment several times to make sure I got it. Fortunately I bought a kindle version of the book which allows me to look up definitions as I read by highlighting the culprit word.
DeleteLucky!!
DeleteI'm going old-school with my Websters dictionary by my side. Lets see, I have butter (from popcorn), Flamin' Hot Funyun fingerprints and God knows what else on the corner of my pages from re-reading them so much all I could do was snack and scratch my head. I even put in ear plugs cause I thought it would help me concentrate and be smarter. But, all I could really hear was my heart beat faster when I got frustrated by not understanding what I was reading. I'll say it, I'll put it out there, "I feel dumb."
You are not dumb! This is a new concept for both of us and we will get through it together.
DeleteI know what you mean, my dictionary is my new BFF, and it is letting me down... these words are not in there! It took me hours to read the first 8 pages... after the second read, I took extensive notes on what I was reading just so it could enter without being verbal chaos. But I absorbed it, and connected. It would be great to be face to face!!
DeleteI agree with you three, as I stated earlier: "I have plunged into a pool (maybe a sea)" of new ideas,words, terms, etc., etc. Yikes!
DeletePromise? Your the best Jenise!
ReplyDeleteWe'll be the Paradigms of the class!! We can call it the Woo-Yes Paradigm. A methodological approach to understanding theoretical perspectives through social literary humorous entertainment. Thanks for your support, I'm gonna need it. We Will get through this! I find its becoming easier to understand the more I cross reference what the class posted and through the reading.
Good job, Liz and Jenise! Like I said, all those new words will become second nature after a little while. But I don't think you'll find the next chapters as challenging as the initial chapter in Leavy's book. The other books we'll be reading (with the possible exception of the book on Suzanne Lacy) will not present you with any new words at all. Just know - trust me on this - it's very important for you, as graduate students, to be acquainted with research methods vocabulary. It comes with the territory of graduate studies. You are both doing extremely well. Onward, ho!
ReplyDeleteFrancesco, in response to your question, yes of course it is possible and desirable that audiences undertake their own research projects (even if they don't think of it in those terms). Artists have been striving for this for some time. It takes a deeply engaged participant to do this, however, and we must be careful not to overstate the importance of our own work. Just as most people don't listen very closely to what others have to say, or look too carefully at people other than themselves and a few significant others, most folks are too preoccupied to let a work of art, literature, performance or music change their lives. This is not to say that it doesn't happen. Clearly it does - usually with other artists who are paying close attention to what other artists are doing.
DeleteAs for the "beauty" remark, you must not take my use of language too literally. To say, "the beauty of it is..." is a figure of speech, not an aesthetic statement about art. Art stopped being about beauty around the turn of the 20th century, although observers and critics still use some system of aesthetics to evaluate the quality of artwork. Although classical aesthetics is about beauty - for example, a youthful and athletic Grecian body - since the early 20th century it has turned away from physical form. Today, aesthetics is more conceptual & theoretically informed than at any point in the history of the term. The art being made reflects this change, although there obviously are still artists who make classically beautiful art because that is what sells.
All,
ReplyDeleteI want to apologize for not responding to each person's comments as thoroughly as I usually do. There are several reasons, first and foremost being that all of you exceeded expectations by a mile. I feel there is little I can add, other than affirmation of the strength of your viewpoints and interpretation of the reading. I know that we're all coming from different backgrounds - there is great diversity even within programs. To me, this adds to the rich texture of the overall conversation. I want you to know that I am not "looking" for any particular kind of response, only what is relevant to you and your current work as an artist, student, worker (several of you are teaching) and budding researcher. I only intervene when I perceive a possible inaccuracy in the reporting of information.
That said, I must say that I felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of comments. For a class of six students, you certainly are talkative! This is great news. I don't have to encourage you to interact with each other. I feel that your responses to each other's writings were perceptive and helpful. Just remember that when another person (including myself) responds to your comments, they are coming from their own particular set of experiences, knowledges, viewpoints and so on. As qualitative research methodology tells us, we cannot step outside of ourselves to become all-seeing, all-knowing beings. Our viewpoints are always partial and incomplete. What completes our viewpoint? YOU do! We cannot know anything without each other.
Because of the outpouring of interaction this week, I realized that 4 questions is probably too much. By "too much" I don't mean that you can't handle it; I mean that it generates a ton of writing that may become overwhelming. It's very important that we read what each other has to say. To make sure this happens, this week's discussion will be more open-ended and, perhaps, centered on only one question or topic. I will be posting it tomorrow.
In the meantime, please know that I am very pleased with your response to the first chapter of Leavy's book. Everyone nailed the main points, which is exactly what I asked you to do, and more importantly, you discussed the reading in voices that helped me understand your work and what you find meaningful.
That's all for now. More tomorrow. Thank you for all the great comments.
carolyn