PapersFlow Research Brief
Artistic and Creative Research
Research Guide
What is Artistic and Creative Research?
Artistic and Creative Research is an interdisciplinary field that explores practice-based inquiry in visual arts, performing arts, creative writing, and design, emphasizing experiential knowledge from artistic practice and its integration with academic methods.
The field encompasses 33,973 works focused on creative writing, practice-based research, artistic practice, screenwriting, pedagogy, poetry, experiential knowledge, art and design, academic legitimacy, and cultural studies. It addresses pedagogical aspects of creative writing and the role of screenwriting as research, alongside experiential knowledge from artistic practice. The cluster integrates art and design with academic legitimacy while examining cultural implications.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Practice-Based Research in Visual Arts
This sub-topic investigates how artistic creation generates new knowledge through studio practice and reflection. Researchers analyze methodologies for documenting, validating, and disseminating practice-led inquiries.
Creative Writing Pedagogy
Studies explore teaching methods, workshop models, and assessment in MFA programs and beyond. Research addresses writer development, feedback dynamics, and program-era influences on literary production.
Screenwriting as Research
This area examines screenwriting processes as investigative practices producing narrative theory and craft knowledge. Analyses cover structure, character development, and screenplay artifacts as research outputs.
Experiential Knowledge in Artistic Practice
Researchers theorize tacit, embodied knowing from art-making against propositional knowledge paradigms. Studies draw on phenomenology and practice philosophy to articulate non-discursive insights.
Arts-Based Research Methods
This sub-topic develops qualitative methods using arts for data generation, analysis, and representation in social sciences. Methodological papers test a/r/tography, performative inquiry, and visual elicitation.
Why It Matters
Artistic and Creative Research provides frameworks for using arts in qualitative inquiry, as detailed in "Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice" by Patricia Leavy (2008), which includes chapters on narrative inquiry, poetry, and music in research, enabling social scientists to represent human experiences through creative forms. "Arts Based Research" by Tom Barone and Elliot W. Eisner (2012) offers a structure for broadening qualitative inquiry in social sciences by incorporating arts as representations of knowing, applied in education and practitioner studies. "Art practice as research: inquiry in the visual arts" (2005) outlines strategies for visual arts research, supporting academic legitimacy of practice-based methods in universities. These approaches impact pedagogy, with "The program era: postwar fiction and the rise of creative writing" (2009) analyzing institutionalization of creative writing programs, influencing over 500 citations in arts education.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice" by Patricia Leavy (2008) serves as the starting point for beginners because it introduces accessible arts-based methods like narrative, poetry, and music with practical examples for qualitative research.
Key Papers Explained
"Remix" by Lawrence Lessig (2008) establishes cultural foundations for creative reuse (1000 citations), connecting to "Art practice as research: inquiry in the visual arts" (2005) by Graeme Sullivan, which builds strategies for visual inquiry (728 citations). "Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice" by Patricia Leavy (2008) expands this into social research methods (670 citations), while "Arts Based Research" by Tom Barone and Elliot W. Eisner (2012) provides a comprehensive framework (534 citations). "Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting" by Robert McKee (1997) applies narrative principles (811 citations), linking to pedagogy in "The program era: postwar fiction and the rise of creative writing" (2009).
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Practice-based research in visual arts and screenwriting remains central, with high citation counts like 1000 for Lessig (2008) and 811 for McKee (1997) indicating sustained focus on academic legitimacy and pedagogy. No recent preprints or news in the last 12 months suggest steady maturation without new disruptions. Frontiers involve integrating experiential knowledge into institutional structures, as explored in Sullivan (2005) and the 2009 program era analysis.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remix | 2008 | Bloomsbury Academic eB... | 1.0K | ✓ |
| 2 | Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Scre... | 1997 | — | 811 | ✕ |
| 3 | Art practice as research: inquiry in the visual arts | 2005 | Choice Reviews Online | 728 | ✕ |
| 4 | Art and Answerability | 1990 | University of Texas Pr... | 673 | ✕ |
| 5 | Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice | 2008 | — | 670 | ✕ |
| 6 | Virtual art: From illusion to immersion | 2004 | Computers & Mathematic... | 583 | ✕ |
| 7 | Aesthetics and its Discontents | 2010 | International Journal ... | 541 | ✕ |
| 8 | The program era: postwar fiction and the rise of creative writing | 2009 | Choice Reviews Online | 538 | ✕ |
| 9 | When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision | 1972 | College English | 535 | ✕ |
| 10 | Arts Based Research | 2012 | — | 534 | ✕ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is arts-based research practice?
"Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice" by Patricia Leavy (2008) defines it through methods like narrative inquiry, poetry, and music in qualitative research. It includes examples such as ethnographic short stories and poetry representing HIV experiences. This practice integrates creative arts with social research to capture complex human experiences.
How does art practice function as research in visual arts?
"Art practice as research: inquiry in the visual arts" (2005) explains it through strategies addressing limitations of traditional visual research methodologies. Graeme Sullivan discusses changing demands of visual arts theory and practice. Artworks themselves serve as inquiries generating experiential knowledge.
What role does screenwriting play in creative research?
"Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting" by Robert McKee (1997) presents screenwriting as a structured research method, with 811 citations reflecting its influence. It refines works in progress and inspires screenwriting careers. The book treats narrative principles as tools for inquiry into story substance.
Why integrate arts into qualitative social science research?
"Arts Based Research" by Tom Barone and Elliot W. Eisner (2012) provides a framework to broaden qualitative inquiry by using arts forms to represent human knowing. It serves as a resource for researchers and practitioners in social sciences. The approach expands beyond traditional methods to include artistic representations.
What is the academic context of creative writing programs?
"The program era: postwar fiction and the rise of creative writing" (2009) examines postwar institutionalization of creative writing in U.S. universities. It covers periods from 1890-1975, including Iowa's model and social construction of authorship. The work traces pedagogy's evolution with 538 citations.
How does remix culture relate to artistic research?
"Remix" by Lawrence Lessig (2008) argues for viewing art as a resource for sharing amid copyright debates, with 1000 citations. It critiques systems criminalizing creative reuse. This supports practice-based research in digital arts and culture.
Open Research Questions
- ? How can traditional research methodologies adapt to fully validate experiential knowledge from artistic practice?
- ? What institutional structures best support screenwriting and creative writing as legitimate research modes?
- ? In what ways can arts-based methods quantify or measure impacts in social science qualitative inquiry?
- ? How do cultural studies intersect with practice-based research to address academic legitimacy in visual arts?
- ? What frameworks bridge pedagogy in creative writing with broader artistic research inquiries?
Recent Trends
The field maintains 33,973 works with no specified 5-year growth rate, reflecting established interest in practice-based research and pedagogy.
Top papers like "Remix" by Lawrence Lessig (2008, 1000 citations) and "Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting" by Robert McKee (1997, 811 citations) continue dominating citations.
Absence of recent preprints or news over the last 6-12 months indicates stable trends without new publications in available data.
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