Art Practice as Research: Inquiry in the Visual Arts

by Graeme Sullivan

Art Practice as Inquiry in the Visual Arts presents a compelling argument that the creative and cultural inquiry undertaken by artists is a form of research. The text explores themes, practices, and contexts of artistic inquiry and positions them within the discourse of research. Author Graeme Sullivan argues that legitimate research goals can be achieved by choosing different methods than those offered by the social sciences. The common denominator in both approaches is the attention given to rigor and systematic inquiry. Artists emphasize the role of the imaginative intellect in creating, criticizing, and constructing knowledge that is not only new but also has the capacity to transform human understanding.

Genres: Art, Academic, Nonfiction, Education, Research

288 pages, Hardcover

First published December 9, 2004

Reviews

[Brian]

The subject matter is important for artists working in academia, and Sullivan has some important insights. However, over-reliance on abstraction and the resultant paucity of examples make reading this text maddening at times.

[Peaches]

This one was a let down for me. Though the subject matter is something I believe in, I just feel like it's been done so much better, likely because this came out in 2005 and more developments and texts have come out since then. Though historical context is important, this book seemed to have too much of it, making it dense and tedious to sift through. It also occurred to me multiple times that Sullivan seems to lack original ideas, and instead uses this text to primarily weave sources together like an entirely too long literature review.

[Todd]

This is certainly not the view of research currently rewarded by the policy makers, but it is important.

[Andy]

I'm doing an art-based research.