Arts-based Research｜YAMAGATA UNIVERSITY

Arts-based Research

Lecturer (Art Education)
LIAO XITONG

In our society, there are many kinds of art—such as painting, sculpture, movies, animation, music, theater, novels, poetry, etc. What matters in art today is to think through art, discover and explore oneself and the world through art making, and encounter with new perspectives through art expression, instead of drawing something realistically or showing great skills. In this sense, art is deeply connected with complex human experiences and understandings. In my seminar, we study the pedagogical possibility through art making and art education.

In a society where new technology such as AI develops quickly, it becomes essential to ask and think about: What does it mean to have a human identity? How do we feel differently, live differently in a world that is always changing? This subjective aspects of human experience may not be measured or put into words easily by quantitative or qualitative research method, but may be possible to be approached, explored and shared through arts-based research. We will keep on studying what possibility can arts-based method unfold, also developing learning activity in both school and the community.

▲A workshop to inquiry on the sea and animals using drift woods

▲Coloring drift woods to think about the sea and animals in the workshop

▲Collecting stones from the riverside and creating colors. What can we learn from the nature?

▲A study and field work through art making inspired by birds