Research Acts in Art Practice

Abstract

This article argues that art practice is a creative and critical form of human engagement that can be conceptualized as research. Conceptions of research are critiqued that raise questions about the purposes of artistic and educational inquiry and the institutional and political influences that shape them. Notions of arts-based research, arts-informed research, and practice-based research are compared according to their policies, practices and methods. In framing art practice as research, various research acts are described that circumscribe the forms, agencies and actions that are part of the theoretical, structural, interpretive and critical traditions found in the visual arts. These research acts are creative and critical; feature complex forms of imagination and intellect; and make use of processes and procedures that draw from many traditions of inquiry. Consequently, it is argued that art practice can be conceptualized as a form of research that can be directed towards a range of personal and public ends.