Arts-Based Action Research

In: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research

Edited by: David Coghlan & Mary Brydon-Miller

Book Title: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research
Chapter Title: "Arts-Based Action Research"
Pub. Date: 2014
Access Date: May 17, 2022
Publishing Company: SAGE Publications Ltd
City: London
Print ISBN: 9781849200271
Online ISBN: 9781446294406
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446294406
Print pages: 59-62
© 2014 SAGE Publications Ltd All Rights Reserved.
This PDF has been generated from SAGE Research Methods. Please note that the pagination of the
online version will vary from the pagination of the print book.
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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.

Examples of Arts-Based Methods

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Popular arts-based strategies include painting and drawing, mural making, drama and performance, collage,
poetry or other creative writing, fashion design and music creation. Each arts-based method has different
strengths and challenges. Below are some brief examples of arts-based methods (many of which have their
own encyclopedia entries in this volume). This list is not meant to be exhaustive but, rather, is illustrative of
the range of ways in which the arts are being used in action research for further engagement and deeper
understanding of social issues.

Hip Hop Songwriting

Through songwriting, participants can pair lyrics, sound and music to create rich and complex forms of
expression. Songwriting incorporates language, oral history, identity formation, culture, geography and
narrative. With its popularized origins in low-income Black and Hispanic communities in post-industrial
America, hip hop has garnered widespread appeal as a result of fusing musical genres from around the world,
such as reggae, jazz and mambo. Hip hop was initially utilized as an avenue for creativity and entertainment
and as an outlet to vent frustrations with state violence and poverty. This genre has since been adopted,
renegotiated and re-created by groups around the world. Hip hop has been coupled with spoken word poetry
and theatre and incorporated in activism, education and health research. One example of the ways it has
been used in research settings can be illustrated by the Taking Action! Building Aboriginal Youth Leadership in
HIV project (http://www.Takingaction4youth.org). Aboriginal youth worked with local hip hop artists to explore
the issues of colonialism, institutional racism, violence, drug abuse, intergenerational trauma, Aboriginal
identity and resistance. The tracks recorded were then used as both ‘data’ to understand youth perspectives
and dissemination products.

Photography (Photovoice, Photo Elicitation)

This method was pioneered by Caroline Wang and Mary Ann Burris' research with village women in rural
China. Photovoice is an approach that gives participants the opportunity to produce knowledge and represent
their perspectives on the strengths and concerns of their community through photographs and accompanying
reflective writing. Photographs are then used to ‘speak’ to policymakers as a strategy for making change. Due
to the ready availability and familiarity of cameras (whether on mobile phones or disposable, digital or more
professionally used devices), this approach has been taken up in various education, community development
and health promotion projects focused on topics as varied as youth sexual health, homelessness and
community well-being.

Collage

Collage is a methodological tool where participants are provided an opportunity to intuitively select, sort,
connect, relocate and arrange found materials, images and text in representation of their opinions,
experiences and/or concerns. The end product or collage is a creation with seemingly fragmented, non-

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linear, unfinished and/or metaphorical meaning, making this an excellent medium for textual and visual inquiry
and analysis of the unexplained, contradictory and incoherent aspects of identity. Collage has been used in
women and gender studies, queer studies, health and education as an approach for curriculum development.
For example, Lynn Butler-Kisber writes about how collage making can be helpful in memoing/reflecting,
conceptualizing, eliciting and articulating challenges.

Digital Storytelling or Participatory Movie Making

These short first person visual narratives combine recorded voice, images, videos, music, sound and text
to create accounts of experience and/or discuss larger social and political issues. This approach has been
employed in many projects dealing with issues such as violence against women, male role modelling,
disability and queer identity. Claudia Mitchell writes about how both the process and products of these
endeavours become powerful sites of empowerment for South African youth engaged as HIV film-makers.

Benefits of Arts-Based Methods

Arts-based methods offer many potential benefits. First and foremost, many participants find the process to
be extremely engaging. Using the arts to mobilize and involve communities in documenting and representing
their world can be a lot of fun. By definition, most arts-based methods are participatory. Using arts-based
methods can challenge community deficit models and show respect for local expertise and talent. They
can also be empowering. Moreover, the storytelling and narrative components of various multi-modal arts-
based approaches resonate with many communities, cultures and traditions. Storytelling, singing, theatre and
painting can be integral to the sharing of the values, traditions and lived experiences of many cultures. These
powerful tools for self and social inquiry can link the personal and private to the public, political, historical,
environmental and socially transformative.

Second, arts-based methods often yield different kinds of data that can complement and enrich more
‘conventional’ research strategies (e.g. interviews and focus groups). For instance, the evocative, personal
and expressive elements of storytelling and narrative inquiry are coupled with the visual appeal of
photography and image in Photovoice and collage. These layers of auditory, sensory and visual texture create
new possibilities for researchers to see, hear and feel. As a result, new researchers are able to ask different
kinds of questions of their data, including ones that engage with the consonance and dissonance between
these representations.

Third, arts-based methods can reach and touch different audiences. The potential blending of new media (e.g.
Internet audiences) with ancient art forms (e.g. painting) creates new possibilities for unprecedented reach,
scope and influence. Furthermore, the products created are often more compelling to general audiences
than academic reports. Arts-based products have been credited with being able to elicit strong emotion and
enhance recall of content.

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Integral to many arts-based research approaches is the utilization of the arts-based media produced from
such studies for the purpose of intervention, information sharing and civic engagement. For instance, arts-
based methods such as performance, theatre and song have proven to be powerful tools for education
on topics ranging from colonialism and identity formation to spirituality and environmentalism. Sharing the
products has also been used to create connections and community. Participants can engage in larger
advocacy efforts by contributing their work to public installations, showcases, screenings, photo exhibits and
websites as a means to spark critical discussion. In this way, they are encouraged to explore the relationship
between their art and broader social issues such as inequality, structural violence and discrimination.
This public engagement serves to mobilize a wider audience of community members, researchers and
policymakers.

Through information sharing and civic engagement, arts-based methods are consistent with the goals
of action research, which stress participatory engagement and collaborative partnerships in the research
process, empowerment, co-learning, capacity building, and community-based action towards social
transformation. As such, resistance is inherent in arts-based processes as they often encourage alternative
ways of knowing and doing, critical thinking and discourse. These attributes also make arts-based
approaches ideal for explorative work in various disciplines.

Challenges Associated with Arts-Based Methods

While arts-based methods offer many advantages for action researchers, there remain many challenges
specific to arts-based methods, some of which are related to the particular technological modalities they
employ. The paragraphs below outline some of these challenges.

Arts-based methods are often thought to be the flagship approach for work with marginalized communities
because of their accessibility and ties to histocultural traditions. However, these assertions may be seen as
homogenizing and disempowering, as they insinuate blanket assumptions about the competence (cultural,
artistic or otherwise) of communities. For instance, there are problematic insinuations about the cultures
and educational level of marginalized communities, which are assumed to gravitate more readily to song,
dance and image rather than to written or numerical methods, such as surveys. These assumptions can be
understood as congruent with the infantilizing and pathologizing representations of specific communities as
‘culturally backward’ or otherwise incompetent.

Rather than transform power inequities and challenge dominant discourse, the process and products of
arts-based approaches can sometimes reinforce them. For instance, participants may create work that
perpetuates dominant racist or sexist stereotypes. They may resist efforts to challenge their main messages
and may want their work promoted alongside others in a project.

In addition, multi-modal arts-based approaches create specific challenges for research analysis. For instance,
researchers employing approaches such as Photovoice or Digital Storytelling may feel the need to become

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versed in how to analyze different kinds of information (e.g. visual, auditory, textual, etc.) or risk losing
valuable content and research insight. Alternatively, some researchers argue for the value of insight provided
by a novice.

Depending on the artistic modality, arts-based approaches to research can be quite costly, require advanced
technical expertise and be demanding of time and human resources. This requires special consideration and
strategizing on the part of those interested in employing these approaches. Related to the nature of funding
systems and the costs associated with arts-based approaches, in many cases these projects are short-lived
interventions and are unable to influence policy in any measurable way. This is in part due to the fact that
policy change strategies are often tagged on at the end of a project proposal rather than being a strategically
planned component of the research process. Furthermore, the policy change cycle is a long process that
often extends beyond the life of these projects. This raises questions on the purpose of arts-based action
research approaches. Is the ability to reach a broad audience and ignite discussion ‘action’ enough? Or do
these projects need to go further in their mandate to commit to policy intervention and other kinds of action
interventions?

Other debates in the field centre on the role and purpose of ‘art’ in these research projects. Some argue
that art is about making aesthetically beautiful, powerful and interesting pieces. Proponents of this elite
approach argue that art should remain the exclusive domain of professional artists because they have the
appropriate skills and training to execute a vision. Professionals are more likely to produce polished, slick
pieces that may resonate with wider audiences. Some action researchers employ performers, musicians,
technicians and other specialists to assist with the dissemination of their research findings. Others argue
that arts-based processes are intended to harness the creative ability of everyone, a natural capacity that is
not exclusive to trained professionals. These action researchers believe that engaging community members
in art making is integral to their method. For these researchers, the process is more important than the
product. Furthermore, the artistic creations made have intrinsic value as rich research data (whether or not it
is aesthetically interesting).

Others raise the concern that many arts-based approaches (e.g. Digital Storytelling) often involve an editing
stage. Editing can be done by the participants themselves, a professional artist, a facilitator and/or the
researcher (or someone who wears many of these hats simultaneously). During the editing stage, it is
important to think through the purpose of these alterations (is it about coherence? aesthetics? cataloguing?)
because the editing process can often affect content, meaning and, thus, data. Care should be taken to
think through whether the primary goal is to understand (i.e. generate data) or create compelling pieces that
share information, educate and inform civic engagement, critical discourse and policy. It can sometimes be
challenging to achieve both ends in one project.

Lastly, although broadly used in health promotion and education interventions, very little research exists
on the rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of arts-based interventions. This is problematic given the
popularity of these approaches.

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Arts-Based Methods and Ethics

There are specific ethical concerns associated with arts-based methods. Such approaches challenge
conventional research norms around participant anonymity and confidentiality. Many participant artists will
eschew anonymity and want to be credited by name when their work is shared or displayed. In other cases,
it may be hard to mask identity. For instance, the personal account of experience contained in a digital story
can provide the audience a revealing glimpse into the identity, thoughts and life of the participant.

Problems arise around the ownership of the art produced in these processes as participants, research
teams and/or partnering institutions and organizations all have a stake in the negotiation of the ownership
agreement. This is especially relevant in the unlikely event that the research and/or arts-based products
become profitable, as the owners are entitled to the profit. Further, where participants have full ownership
of their art, they may consent to sharing their art from the project through one medium but not another
(e.g. permission may be given to include their art in a journal article but not in a public display or online).
Participants may decide at a later date to revoke their consent to sharing their work. Care needs to be taken
to think through whether this is even possible (e.g. if dissemination has been widespread in print or online
media).

A ‘gold standard’ in arts-based research is to think of consent in multiple steps. First there is consent
to participate in the research, then there is consent around whether and how to disseminate products.
Finally, appropriate attribution (e.g. whether or not to be anonymous) needs to be negotiated. Furthermore, if
participants use images of their community members in their representations (or other copyrighted material),
consent is also required on the part of these individuals to include their likeness/work in the art.

Research teams need to be attuned to the nuances of the ethical concerns that exist and prepared for
those that may arise when employing arts-based methods. Additionally, participants in these studies must be
appropriately informed and prepared for the demands of the process.

Future Outlook

As demonstrated by the growing body of literature, there has been widespread acceptance and popularity
of arts-based methods as viable approaches for critical scholarship, action research and community
intervention. With the availability of communication tools such as the Internet, video and production software,
researchers and advocates are finding innovative ways to incorporate different art forms into their work to
promote insightful discussion, knowledge production, civic engagement, community development and social
change.

Ciann Wilson & and Sarah Flicker

http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446294406.n30

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See also

• Digital Storytelling
• ethnography
• Photovoice

Further Readings

Butler-Kisber, L. (2008). Collage as inquiry. In Edited by: J. G.Knowles & A. L.Cole (Eds.), Handbook of
the arts in qualitative research (pp. 265–276). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Edited by: Cole, A., Knowles, G., & Luciano, T. (Eds.). (2004). Provoked by art: Theorizing arts-informed
research. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Backalong Books.

Gray, R. (2002). Standing ovation: Performing social science research about cancer. Lanham, MD: Rowman
& Littlefield.

Knowles, G., & Cole, A. (2007). Handbook of the arts in qualitative research: Perspectives, methodologies,
examples and issues. London, England: Sage.

Lahkani, A., Oliver, V., Yee, J., Jackson, R., & Flicker, S. (2010). “Keep the fire burning brightly”: Aboriginal
youth using hip-hop for warmth in a chilly climate. In Edited by: L. A.Sandberg & T.Sandberg (Eds.), From
climate change to chilly climates: Copenhagen, Cochabamba and beyond. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: CCPA.

Lambert, J. (2006). Digital storytelling: Capturing lives, creating community. Berkeley, CA: Digital Diner
Press.

Mitchell, C. (2011). Doing visual research. London, England: Sage.

Pink, S. (2001). Doing visual ethnography. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Wang, C., & Burris, M. A. (1997). Photovoice: Concept, methodology, and use for participatory needs
assessment. Health Education & Behavior, 24(3), 369–387. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/109019819702400309

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