Arts-based Methods in Socially Engaged Research Practice: A Classification Framework

Arts-based research has recently gained an increasing popularity within qualitative inquiry. It is applied in various disciplines, including health, psychology, education, and anthropology. Arts-based research uses artistic forms and expressions to explore, understand, represent, and even challenge human experiences. In this paper we aim to create order in the messy field of artistically inspired methods of socially engaged research. We review literature to establish study and distinguished three major categories for classifying arts-based research: research about art, art as research, and art in research. We further identify five main forms of arts-based research: visual art, sound art, literary art, performing art, and new media. Relevant examples of socially engaged research are provided to illustrate how different artistic methods are used within the forms identified. This classification framework provides artists and researchers a general introduction to arts-based research and helps them to better position themselves and their projects in a field in full development.