Week 12 - Arts Informed Research

Reflecting on how my perception of research has changed since the beginning of this course, the article by Eisner (2006) has really summed up my thoughts about qualitative research “pushing towards pluralism”.  Before I started this course, I thought that the predictable process of scientific inquiry (method, data collection, analysis, etc.) was the proper way to conduct research.  One truth, determined through quantitative data and scientific rigour gave me a sense of security and, in theory, a solid ground to stand on.   In contrast, qualitative inquiry could take multiple directions, lead to many truths, and researchers influence their study as much as (or more) than participants.  I thought that qualitative research had an anything goes!-like attitude.  This course helped me see the structure of qualitative research, through theoretical frameworks, methodologies, and qualitative rigour.  That research can take the form of actual aesthetic art, as described by Eisner (2006), means that process of qualitative inquiry is more fluid and imaginative than I had previously thought.

I really enjoyed how Lapum, et al. (2011) took the narratives of patients who underwent cardiac surgery and using an arts-based approach, reinterpreted their experiences into poetry and photography. They suggested that art is a “disruption” and “antecedent for change”; able to “capture elusive dimensions of experience that are difficult to articulate […] in ways that academic texts may not” (Lapum, et al., 2011).  I wholeheartedly agree as the adage goes ‘a picture is worth more than a thousand words’.  The excerpts from their exhibit evoked empathy in me for the patients who were faced with their mortality “we drive in […] it hit me […] park the car […] without my heart […] enter the front doors […] I can’t live”.  That the authors could reach viewers from diverse backgrounds is a strong testament to the use of art as a medium for knowledge mobilization. 

Although not an arts-based research project per se, this week’s readings reminded me of N’we Jinan, a non-profit musical production group that I was introduced to while working in northern Ontario.  N’we Jinan was created from a desire work with youth in remote Indigenous communities.  They provide joy and community empowerment through musical and visual programs, and give a platform for Indigenous youth to express themselves and be heard.  The community of Pikangikum has had a youth suicide crisis for years, but it came to media attention in 2017 when four youths took their lives in the same month (Russell, 2017).  While federal health resources were mobilized, I have heard that the strongest impact on the morale of this community, and surrounding northern communities, is due to the work of N’we Jinan.  The narrative of the Indigenous youth in Pikangikum and their experience of resilience while living on reserve is transformed into a powerful and thought-provoking music video.  The youth are involved in the whole creative process--from writing the lyrics and music, to filming and editing.  

I think that the work N’we Jinan has done for Pikangikum and other northern communities could be made into a participatory action, arts-based research project.  The success of N'we Jinan's work has already inspired teachers to integrated music creativity in classrooms of some northern communities.  A researcher could translate the creative art process used by N'we Jinan and outcomes they have achieved into literary text, or use the art product (music video) to share the experience of the Indigenous youth.  As Eisner (2006) stated, “good arts-based research ought to generate questions worth asking and ideas worth pursuing”.  Because of this video, I am compelled to learn more about the youth in Pikangikum, as well as Indigenous empowerment, resilience, and reclaiming cultural identity through music. 

References

Eisner, E. (2006). Does arts-based research have a future? Studies in Art Education. 48(1), 9-18.

Lapum, J., Ruttonsha, P., Church, K., Yau, T., & Matthews David, A. (2011). Employing arts in research as an analytic tool and dissemination method: Interpreting the experience through the aesthetic. Qualitative Inquiry, 18(1), 100 – 115.

Nwe Jinan. (2018, March 8). N’we Jinan Artists - “THE RIVER FLOWS” // Pikangikum First Nation [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5D-1TyJmSE

Russell, A. (2017, July 17). Ontario First Nation reeling following suicides of at least 4 young people. Global News. Retrieved from: https://globalnews.ca/news/3606241/ontario-first-nation-reeling-following-suicides-of-at-least-4-young-people/