Applied Practice: Evidence and Impact in Theatre, Music and Art (Applied Theatre)

Applied Practice: Evidence And Impact In Theatre, Music And Art Engages With A Diversity Of Contexts, Locations And Arts Forms - Including Theatre, Music And Fine Art - And Brings Together Theoretical, Political And Practice-based Perspectives On The Question Of 'evidence' In Relation To Participatory Arts Practice In Social Contexts. This Collection Is A Unique Contribution To The Field, Focusing On One Of The Vital Concerns For A Growing And Developing Set Of Arts And Research Practices. It Asks Us To Consider Evidence Not Only In Terms Of Methodology But Also In The Light Of The Ideological, Political And Pragmatic Implications Of That Methodology. In Part One, Matthew Reason And Nick Rowe Reflect On Evidence And Impact In The Participatory Arts In Relation To Recurring Conceptual And Methodological Motifs. These Include Issues Of Purpose And Obliquity; The Relationship Between Evidence And Knowledge; Intrinsic And Instrumental Impacts, And The Value Of Participatory Research. Part Two Explores The Diversity Of Perspectives, Contexts And Methodologies In Examining What It Is Possible To Know, Say And Evidence About The Often Complex And Intimate Impact Of Participatory Arts. Part Three Brings Together Case Studies In Which Practitioners And Practice-based Researchers Consider The Frustrations, Opportunities And Successes They Face In Addressing The Challenge To Produce Evidence For The Impact Of Their Practice. Introduction: Evidence, A Rope Comprising Of Several Cords / Matthew Reason & Nick Rowe -- Framing Reflection On Evidence And Impact In Participatory Arts. Purpose, Outcomes And Obliquity: To Plan Or Not To Plan / Nick Rowe & Matthew Reason -- Evidence, Knowledge And Persuasion In Arts Impact Research / Matthew Reason -- Intrinsic And Instrumental Impacts In Participatory Art / Matthew Reason -- Participatory Research In The Participatory Arts / Nick Rowe & Matthew Reason -- Researching Participatory Arts: Analytical Perspectives. Section Introduction / Matthew Reason & Nick Rowe -- On The Need For Diversity Of Methods In Researching Arts And Health Practice / Stephen Clift -- Do You See What I See? Art, Science And Evidence In Autism Research / Nicola Shaughnessy -- Wrestling With Beauty: Putting The Aesthetic Into Arts Evaluation / Katya Johanson & Hilary Glow --^ Capturing The Intangible: Exploring Creative Risk-taking Through Collaborative And Creative Methods / Elanor Stannage -- Besieged By Inappropriate Criteria: Arts Organisations Developing Grounded Evaluation Approaches / Anni Raw & Mary Robson -- The Performance Of Prison Theatre Practices: Questions Of Evidence / Caoimhe Mcavinchey -- Researching Applied Arts Through Ethnographic Performance: Perspectives From An African Context / Kennedy C. Chinyowa -- Thou Art, I Am: Discovery And Recovery In The Art Making Process / Olivia Sagan -- Researching Participatory Arts: Practice-orientated Case Studies. Section Introduction / Matthew Reason & Nick Rowe -- Dear Younger Me: Writing, Songwriting And Choral Singing While Incarcerated As A Means To Build Identities And Bridge Communities / Mary Ll. Cohen & Perry Miller -- Exploring The Perceived Benefits Of Shared Musical Experience / Christine Bates & Liz Mellor --^ The Wisdom Of Crowds: Applied Theatre, Social Media And Data Visualisation / Paul Sutton -- A Community Based Theatre Arts Program For Adults With Disabilities: Evidence Through Research, Observation And Individual Transformation / Natalie Russo, Melissa Luke, Kevin Heffernan, Luis Columna & Elizabeth Ingram -- Bespoke Practices: A Practitioner's Perspective On Documenting And Evaluating The Experiences Of Artists With Disabilities / Jennifer Gilbert -- There's O Pill For That: A Practitioner's Perspective On The Evidence Imperative In The Arts And Mental Health / Linda Boyles -- Embracing Indeterminacy In Participatory Storytelling In A Mental Health Context / Catherine Heinemeyer -- Art Know No Boundaries: Cross Cultural Bridge Building Through Transnational Arts Project / Matthew Hahn With Lungile Dlamini & Marius Botha -- Foot In Mouth, Mouth In Trough: Doing Good, Evaluation And Other Megalomania / Scott Rankin -- Afterword: Confidence In Art As Evidence / Ross W. Prior. [edited By] Matthew Reason And Nick Rowe. Based On A Conference Held At York St John University, Uk, In 2014. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Contents List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Introduction: A Rope Comprising Several Cords Part One. Framing Evidence and Impact in Participatory Arts 1. Purpose, Outcomes and Obliquity: To Plan or Not to Plan 2. Evidence, Knowledge and Persuasion in Arts Impact Research 3. Intrinsic and Instrumental Impacts in Participatory Art 4 Participatory Research in the Participatory Arts Part Two. Researching Participatory Arts: Analytical Perspectives Section Introduction 5. On the Need for Diversity of Methods in Researching Arts and Health Practice 6. Do You See What I See? Arts, Science and Evidence in Autism Research 7. Wrestling with Beauty: Putting the Aesthetic into Arts Evaluation 8. Capturing the Intangible: Exploring Creative Risk-taking through Collaborative and Creative Methods 9. Besieged by Inappropriate Criteria: Arts Organizations Developing Grounded Evaluation Approaches 10. The Performance of Prison Theatre Practices: Questions of Evidence 11. Researching Applied Arts through Ethnographic Performance: Perspectives from an African Context 12. Thou Art, I Am: Discovery and Recovery in the Artmaking Process Part Three. Researching Participatory Arts: Practice-Orientated Case Studies Section Introduction 13. ‘Dear Younger Me’: Writing, Songwriting and Choral Singing while Incarcerated as a Means to Build Identities and Bridge Communities 14. Exploring the Perceived Benefits of Shared Musical Experience 15. The Wisdom of Crowds: Applied Theatre, Social Media and Data Visualization 16. A Community-based Theatre Arts Programme for Adults with Disabilities: Evidence through Research, Observation and Individual Transformation 17. Bespoke Practices: A Practitioner’s Perspective on Documenting and Evaluating the Experiences of Artists with Disabilities 18. ‘There’s No Pill For That’: A Practitioner’s Perspective on the Evidence Imperative in the Arts and Mental Health 19. Embracing Indeterminacy in Participatory Storytelling 20. Art Knows No Boundaries: Cross-Cultural Bridge Building through Transnational Arts Project 21. Foot in Snout, Snout in Trough: Doing Good, Evaluation and Other Megalomania Afterword: Confidence in Art as Evidence Notes References Index Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Notes on Contributors -- Introduction: A Rope Comprising Several Cords -- A short word on terminology -- The death of the expert -- Part 1 Framing Evidence and Impact in Participatory Arts -- Chapter 1 Purpose, Outcomes and Obliquity: To Plan or Not to Plan -- 1"Definitions of purpose in participative arts practice -- 2"Communicating purpose across a range of stakeholders -- 3"The embedded contextual nature of participatory arts -- 4"The problem of identity -- 'Chaos has to be very well organized' -- Chapter 2 Evidence, Knowledge and Persuasion in Arts Impact Research -- The primacy of evidence -- The primacy of knowing -- Pragmatism, politics and persuasion -- Chapter 3 Intrinsic and Instrumental Impacts in Participatory Arts -- Intrinsic or instrumental -- The aesthetic experience -- Beauty -- Embodied objectivity -- Chapter 4 Participatory Research in the Participatory Arts -- The search for methods -- Involvement: Participants as researchers -- Dissemination: The role of the arts -- Conclusion -- Part 2 Researching Participatory Arts: Analytical Perspectives -- Section Introduction -- Chapter 5 On the Need for Diversity of Methods in Researching Arts and Health Practice -- Approaches to the evaluation of arts and health initiatives -- Work of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health -- Conclusion -- Chapter 6 Do You See What I See? Arts, Science and Evidence in Autism Research -- Blinded by science? -- Qualitative and quantitative dialogues -- Unblinding -- Moral myopias: Art and instrumentalism -- Seeing leaves and forests: Practitioner and participant viewpoints -- Conclusion: Messages in bottles and aes/ethics -- Chapter 7 Wrestling with Beauty: Putting the Aesthetic into Arts Evaluation -- The limitations of evaluation practice -- The effect of beauty Engaging with a diversity of contexts, locations and arts forms - including theatre, music and fine art - this collection brings together theoretical, political and practice-based perspectives on the question of 'evidence' in relation to arts practice in social context. Chapters critically interrogate the potential of approaches ranging from narrative case studies to randomised control trials and ethnographic performance