Athens, Ga. – Graduate students and faculty in the University of Georgia College of Education will combine artistic talents with research practices in a showcase of visual, literary and performing arts later this month.
The 2015 Arts-Based Research Symposium is a chance for the public to see how creative endeavors can be used to discover new ideas and insights in the world of the arts and social sciences. The event takes place 4:30-7 p.m. April 30 at the Lamar Dodd School of Art in the N311 and the North gallery spaces (enter across from the Georgia Museum of Art). The event is free and light refreshments will be provided.
The symposium will include theatrical and poetic performances every 20 to 30 minutes, along with a showcase of visual art and fiction. Participants cover a range of topics and disciplines, including the Theatre Reentry Project, which uses theater as a tool of reform in prison; Changing Faces, which explores human interactions through book arts; the role of prose and performance poetry on identity; and photography that explores health challenges and people’s desire to change.
Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor, a professor in the department of language and literacy education who organized the symposium, said the event illustrates an important connection between research and the creative world that can often be overlooked by more scientific endeavors.
“Researchers in education, anthropology, medical sciences and other specialties rely on the arts to better understand our lives. The creative process touches everyone, and it’s creativity that drives research and discovery in any field, whether it’s in the sciences or humanities,” she said. “I feel very lucky to work among these students, who are constantly pushing the boundaries of both arts and science and seeking new ways to conceptualize research.”
