Advancing Supervision for Artistic Research Doctorates

Erasmus+ strategic partnership for higher education (2018-2021)

The project The Art of Feedback Project output
Advancing Supervision Project Image 800

Advancing Supervision for Artistic Research Doctorates aims to improve doctoral education at art universities. It addresses doctoral supervision as the core component in doctoral education, proposing a balanced set of measures to improve supervision on a practical level (addressing institutions and students), a strategic level (addressing membership organisations), and on an advocacy level (addressing stakeholders and policy makers). The members of the project consortium, led by the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, come from all artistic fields (fine arts, media arts, performative arts, architecture and design, music, art theory) ensuring a transnational and transdisciplinary perspective of supervision in artistic research.

The Art of Feedback

Lead partner: Orpheus Institute

Being able to share knowledge and expertise with colleagues is essential for the development of an independent professional artist. In performing arts, such as theatre and dance, concrete methods and strategies for peer-to-peer feedback are widespread. Within the field of artistic research and artistic research education, however, artistic feedback has not been given much attention. In fact, numerous studies have recognised the need for specific training in this subject area. Considering the similarities between the work of artists and artist-researchers, the integration of strategies for feedback from the performing arts into artistic-research programmes, and into doctoral supervision processes in particular is a potential asset for the future of artistic research.

Questions raised:

  • How can research output of a non-discursive nature or one that is not based on text be submitted to feedback in the context of artistic doctoral work?
  • What are the specific requirements for pertinent and efficient feedback in situations where non-discursive material has to be commented upon?
  • How can these new insights enrich relationships between supervisor and doctoral student in disciplines where this relationship is mainly based on text?

To build a culture of feedback in the context of doctoral studies based on a differentiated approach to creative work will make the doctoral supervision processes more adapted to the hybrid, cross-disciplinary practices often met in the context of artistic research. Also, communication between student and supervisor that is not based on text only but rather on the understanding and elaboration of artistic processes, will allow supervisors and students alike to better articulate the object(s) of research. Further, it will have a positive effect on the way staff and students perceive supervision and transform processes of critique into empowering tools. Last, an improved understanding of feedback and the integration of new discourses into the curricula of artistic PhD programmes will lead not only to better practices of evaluation and to enhanced approaches to student assessment.

LEARN MORE:

Feed-back, feed-forward / Resources / Community of Practice

Undoing Supervision

Project Output

'Undoing Supervision - A Compendium of Key Issues in Supervising Artistic Research Doctorates' is the final output e-book of the ERASMUS+ Strategic Partnership Project Advancing Supervison for Artistic Research Doctorates. It is to be understood as a poly vocal document, intended as a contribution to the field of artistic research and the advancement of artistic research doctorates. Inevitably, this compendium is neither exhaustive nor conclusive, but rather presents the results of the project at a particular point in time, and invites further engagement with the key issues at stake. It provides direct and open access to the online resources developed by and through the partnership and in conversation with the community of peers, professionals and stakeholders in and for artistic research (doctorates).

↓ Download e-book (.pdf)

'Feed-back, feed-forward: towards meaningful exchange on artistic work in doctoral supervision An analysis of experiences of artistic feedback and indications for the integration of artistic feedback practices in doctoral supervision' outlines the work and findings of The Art of Feedback. The report serves as a feedback manual for the use of innovative techniques for feedback in the context of doctoral supervision in artistic research.

↓ Download report (.pdf)

Advancing supervision partners

→ Project website: www.advancingsupervision.eu

With the support of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union

Project Reference: 2018-1-AT01-KA203-039320

  • Erasmus