Read on for information about this free event put on by our colleagues at UBC:

Arts-based initiatives have emerged over the last few decades as promising avenues for innovation in qualitative research. As a result, researchers in various disciplines are experimenting with novel forms of inquiry and data representation, such as dance, drama, fiction, poetry, songs, visual arts, etc. If much has been written about the form, the content and the legitimacy of these novel research methods, it seems that other important questions have been neglected. Drawing on the empirical works of our UBC interdisciplinary research team, we wish to open up to a larger audience the discussion about these under-studied issues.

This workshop will explore the following questions with a particular focus on health research:

1. What is unique about using arts-based methods in health research as opposed to other fields of research such as education or law?

2. Are researchers more interested in the process of creating/using the arts or are they more interested in the outcome and its impact?

3. What level of professionalism and core competence is required from artist/performers versus what is required from lay artists?

4. Does the art form have to be executed to a high professional standard to be effective or can lay artists also contribute to effective forms of inquiry and methods for conveying research results?

5. Which methods and forms of artistic expression are most effective for knowledge dissemination? for which audiences? (e.g. general public, policy-makers, researchers, etc.) which topics? and why?

6. What are the priorities for research on the uses of arts-based methods in health research?

"Arts-Based Methods in Health Research" is funded by an Exploratory Workshop Grant from the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of British Columbia awarded to Principal Investigators Susan Cox, Centre for Applied Ethics, and George Belliveau, Language and Literacy Education. The Arts-Based Event, which is part of the workshop, is funded by a grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and an Hampton Social Science (HSS) research grant awarded by the College for Interdisciplinary Studies (CFIS).

Full event information, schedule and RSVP details here.