The widely accepted definition of ABR:
Arts-Based Research (ABR) is the engagement with creative expression as a mode of inquiry and documentation of internal and external stimuli.
Other famous definitions of ABR:
“In defining the interpretive-hermeneutic art-making model… [as a] system of communication, [and] expression of situated knowledge about a person’s relationship with his or her social world.” (Sanders, 2015)
"Arts-based research is simply defined by its use of the arts as objects of inquiry as well as modes of investigation.” (McNiff, 1998)
Arts-Based Research is a tool used to “generate, embody, and creatively synthesize knowledge.” (Moon, 2014)
Arts-Based Research is “a whole paradigm on its own.” (Leavy, 2020) Leavy herself believes that arts-based research “requires a novel worldview and covers expansive terrain’ and is based on a specific (artistic) form of knowing.” (Leavy, 2020)
The roots of expressive arts combined with research can likely be traced back to the famous German arts theorist and psychologist Rudolf Arnheim, and American philosopher Susanne Langer. Both well-respected practitioners spent much of their lives promoting and expanding upon the notion that artistic experimentation and creative production are prominent means by which humans can acquire and document ways of knowing.
The roots of expressive arts combined with research can likely be traced back to the famous German arts theorist and psychologist Rudolf Arnheim, and American philosopher Susanne Langer. Both well-respected practitioners spent much of their lives promoting and expanding upon the notion that artistic experimentation and creative production are prominent means by which humans can acquire and document ways of knowing.
Bruce Moon (born c. 1951) is an American art therapist, educator, artist, and author. He is also a singer/songwriter who has recorded several albums. He is an Honorary Life Member (HLM) of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA), their most prestigious honor in the field of Art Therapy.
Shaun McNiff, Ph.D., ATR, founded the first graduate program to integrate all of the arts in therapy into a discipline now called Expressive Arts Therapy. Dr. McNiff discovered in his work with others how each art form contains all of the others and how the creative process flourishes when this eco-system of expression is affirmed. His orientation to depth psychology affirms the integral nature of all things. The reality of natural and authentic expression occurs when all the senses work together in an interdependent way, like everything else in nature. McNiff’s books and essays have been widely influential and translated into many languages—his Imagination in Action: Secrets for Unleashing Creative Expression (Shambhala, 2015) closely aligns with this workshop. His books Art-based Research and Art as Medicine are used extensively in the teaching of art therapy.
Gerber, N., (2018) Arts-based research approaches to studying mechanisms of change in the creative arts therapies. Front. Psychology. Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings
Vol. 9. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02076
Hacsek, Z. (2020). Handbook of arts-based research: by Patricia Leavy (ed.) 36(3), 275–277. New York: Guilford Press 36(3), 275–277. doi.org/10.1080/1472586X.2020.1741947
Moon, B. L., & Hoffman, N. (2014). Performing art-based research: Innovation in graduate art therapy education. Art Therapy, 31(4), 172–178. doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2015.963485
McNiff, S., (1998) Art-based research. (p.15) Jessica Kingsley Press
Sanders, J. H. (2014). Arts-based research primer. Studies in art education, 55(4), 345–348. doi.org/10.1080/00393541.2014.11518943
Interviews:
Using Film as a Source is a book that:
Sian Barber. (2015). Using Film As a Source. Manchester University Press.
Journaling:
Theory into Practice: Unlocking the Power and Protentional of Reflective Journals is a book intended for researchers and educators who work in formal (e.g., high schools, colleges, and universities) and informal (e.g., outdoor education centers, camps, community centers) settings. It provides valuable information to help them use reflective journals in their daily academic endeavors.
Timothy S. O’Connell. (2013). Theory Into Practice: Unlocking the Power and the Potential of Reflective Journals. Information Age Publishing.
Gerber, N., (2018) Arts-based research approaches to studying mechanisms of change in the creative arts therapies. Front. Psychology. Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings
Vol. 9. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02076
Good Question: Arts-based Approaches to Collaborative Research with Children and Youth
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Arts Based Research
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Arts-Based and Contemplative Practices in Research and Teaching
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