Art Practice as Research: Inquiry in the Visual Arts presents a compelling argument that the creative and cultural inquiry undertaken by artists is a form of research. The text explores themes, practices, and contexts of artistic inquiry and positions them within the discourse of research. Author Graeme Sullivan argues that legitimate research goals can be achieved by choosing different methods than those offered by the social sciences. The common denominator in both approaches is the attention given to rigor and systematic inquiry. Artists emphasize the role of the imaginative intellect in creating, criticizing, and constructing knowledge that is not only new but also has the capacity to transform human understanding.

Author Biography

Graeme Sullivan is an associate professor of Art Education, Department of Arts and Humanities, at Teachers College, Columbia University. He earned both his Ph.D. and his M.A. in Art Education from Ohio State University. Sullivan is a former senior lecturer in Art Education, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Australia. Since the early 1990s his research has involved an ongoing investigation of critical-reflective thinking processes and research practices in visual arts. In 1998, he produced a CD-ROM, Critical Influence, that documented the influences and contexts surrounding the art practice of two contemporary artists as they prepared for an exhibition. He is the author of Seeing Australia: Views of Artists and Artwriters as well as numerous articles which focus on the visual research practices in art and education. In 1990, he was awarded the Manual Barkan Memorial Award for his scholarly writing by the National Art Education Association (NAEA). Sullivan is currently the Senior Editor for Studies in Art Education, the research journal of the NAEA. He is listed in Who's Who in America (2004).