Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Carrie Mae Weems - Constructing History: A Requiem to Mark the Moment
Can I have a volunteer to write the discussion questions/topic for this week's reading? I would prefer it be someone who is already familiar with Weems' work. Thank you!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Method Meets Art by Patricia Leavy, ch. 7 (pp. 215-251) Discussion questions & topics
In chapter 7, finally we reach visual arts-based research methods. You were probably wondering how long it would take! Hopefully, previous chapters and texts have shown that visual art is not the only art form we can use in our research. Narrative, poetry and performance (which we haven't discussed yet) can be equally important and integral to the production of creative research. Still, visual art is central to our research mission; it is the art form that brings us together and allows us to understand each other.
Because this chapter is so important, I have given much thought to the blog topic. I know that next week we'll be reading Carrie Mae Weems' Constructed Histories, which addresses critical theoretical issues of identity, representation and subjugated voices/perspectives, and as such constitutes a work of visual "aesthetic intervention," as defined by feminist theorist bell hooks (1995) in her widely read book, Art on My Mind.. (**note my use of APA style**). So what shall this week's topic be?
Here is what I think. I think each one of you quite capable of running with the material presented in this chapter. Therefore I'm going to limit my directives. What I want to know, and what I think you are ready to ask yourselves, is how you will implement one or more of the methodological approaches discussed in the chapter. Leavy divides visual art-based research methodologies into 4 general categories. Here is her description of each (the numbers in parentheses were added by me):
The visual arts-based methods researchers have created offer several options, including (1) using art that exists independent of the research in order to study something that it articulates or questions it poses about social life; (2) having research participants create art in order to express or get at some aspect of their lives that would otherwise remain untapped;(3) creating visual models in order to assist data analysis and interpretation; (4) and creating art as a part of the representation of data. (2009, p. 218).
[Side Bar: the above quote is formatted in APA style. It is a block quote, re: a quote over 40 words long. Block quotes are usually indented 5 spaces from the left margin (which I could not do in this format), do not use quotation marks, and provide date and/or p.# at the end of the quote, after the end punctuation]
The chapter goes on to give examples of the four methodological approaches or strategies. The Weems book (which you might glance at now) is a combination of research strategies #1 and #4. Vicuna's book arguably falls primarily into research strategy #4. The Carolyn Jongewood example on pp. 239-51 might be a combination of #3 and #4. Kim Hershorn's work exploring themes of violence in an artmaking project with kids in an urban school setting (see Leavy, pp. 229-30) is an example of research strategy #2.
As you can see, it is possible and even likely that more than one methodological approach will inform your research. You can set up your project to work in a certain way, but you cannot foresee where it leads. Research usually involves other people whose lives and personalities lead in new directions. It is important to be open, flexible and ready for unexpected opportunities. We can never predict another person's behavior, no matter how well we know them! For this reason, you may start out with the intention of using one methodological approach but end up with two or more overlapping approaches. In the analysis phase of your research you'll find out what happened, when and how it happened. In the writing phase of your research, you'll state what happened, when and how, in narrative form. Visual "data" will inform the research process and final product in different ways. It's up to you and your thesis/dissertation committee to figure out what works best.
Which visual arts-based research methodology/ies best fit/s your research project? If you haven't settled on a particular project, imagine different scenarios based on different methodological approaches.
Be aware that if your research involves people other than yourself, for example if you plan to conduct interviews, photograph people's faces or do a collaborative artwork, you will need to obtain permission from TTU via the Internal Review Board (IRB). The IRB process is more rigorous for research involving minors. I have had students obtain IRB approval to work with school children, so it's not impossible and you shouldn't be intimidated by the process. It does involve paperwork, however. The IRB process is in place to protect research subjects from potential abuse (bad stuff has happened in the past) and (most of all) to protect the university from costly lawsuits.
How will you implement visual arts-based research in your research study? Use chapter 7 to guide your responses. Good luck!
References
hooks, b. (Ed.)(1995). Art on my mind: Visual politics.New York: New Press.
Because this chapter is so important, I have given much thought to the blog topic. I know that next week we'll be reading Carrie Mae Weems' Constructed Histories, which addresses critical theoretical issues of identity, representation and subjugated voices/perspectives, and as such constitutes a work of visual "aesthetic intervention," as defined by feminist theorist bell hooks (1995) in her widely read book, Art on My Mind.. (**note my use of APA style**). So what shall this week's topic be?
Here is what I think. I think each one of you quite capable of running with the material presented in this chapter. Therefore I'm going to limit my directives. What I want to know, and what I think you are ready to ask yourselves, is how you will implement one or more of the methodological approaches discussed in the chapter. Leavy divides visual art-based research methodologies into 4 general categories. Here is her description of each (the numbers in parentheses were added by me):
The visual arts-based methods researchers have created offer several options, including (1) using art that exists independent of the research in order to study something that it articulates or questions it poses about social life; (2) having research participants create art in order to express or get at some aspect of their lives that would otherwise remain untapped;(3) creating visual models in order to assist data analysis and interpretation; (4) and creating art as a part of the representation of data. (2009, p. 218).
[Side Bar: the above quote is formatted in APA style. It is a block quote, re: a quote over 40 words long. Block quotes are usually indented 5 spaces from the left margin (which I could not do in this format), do not use quotation marks, and provide date and/or p.# at the end of the quote, after the end punctuation]
The chapter goes on to give examples of the four methodological approaches or strategies. The Weems book (which you might glance at now) is a combination of research strategies #1 and #4. Vicuna's book arguably falls primarily into research strategy #4. The Carolyn Jongewood example on pp. 239-51 might be a combination of #3 and #4. Kim Hershorn's work exploring themes of violence in an artmaking project with kids in an urban school setting (see Leavy, pp. 229-30) is an example of research strategy #2.
As you can see, it is possible and even likely that more than one methodological approach will inform your research. You can set up your project to work in a certain way, but you cannot foresee where it leads. Research usually involves other people whose lives and personalities lead in new directions. It is important to be open, flexible and ready for unexpected opportunities. We can never predict another person's behavior, no matter how well we know them! For this reason, you may start out with the intention of using one methodological approach but end up with two or more overlapping approaches. In the analysis phase of your research you'll find out what happened, when and how it happened. In the writing phase of your research, you'll state what happened, when and how, in narrative form. Visual "data" will inform the research process and final product in different ways. It's up to you and your thesis/dissertation committee to figure out what works best.
Which visual arts-based research methodology/ies best fit/s your research project? If you haven't settled on a particular project, imagine different scenarios based on different methodological approaches.
Be aware that if your research involves people other than yourself, for example if you plan to conduct interviews, photograph people's faces or do a collaborative artwork, you will need to obtain permission from TTU via the Internal Review Board (IRB). The IRB process is more rigorous for research involving minors. I have had students obtain IRB approval to work with school children, so it's not impossible and you shouldn't be intimidated by the process. It does involve paperwork, however. The IRB process is in place to protect research subjects from potential abuse (bad stuff has happened in the past) and (most of all) to protect the university from costly lawsuits.
How will you implement visual arts-based research in your research study? Use chapter 7 to guide your responses. Good luck!
References
hooks, b. (Ed.)(1995). Art on my mind: Visual politics.New York: New Press.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Please View Our New Flickr Album!
All, I posted a bit of a photo-essay on a recent installation by Cecelia Vicuna that I think will contribute significantly to your understanding of her work. Please let me know if you encounter technical difficulties logging onto the site or viewing the images. Thanks,
carolyn
carolyn
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