Workshop research
The workshop research is meant for students looking to do more with research during and after their study programme.
Do you have a question you would like to explore further? Do you want to develop an idea, place your work in a broader context or discover which research method fits your practice? At the Research Workshop, you will find the space, expertise and guidance to take your research further.
The Research Workshop is open to students and staff at ArtEZ in Zwolle. Teacher-researchers think alongside you, starting from your own question, interests or practice. You do not need to have a fully developed research proposal. An initial idea, a question you are struggling with or simply a sense of curiosity is enough to get started.
Research from your own practice
Research at an art academy can take many forms. You might be doing research for a thesis or study assignment. Your question might arise from your artistic or design practice. Or, as a staff member, you might want to develop new knowledge or further your professional development.
At the Research Workshop, the emphasis is on doing research. Together, we explore how you can turn a question or idea into a research project. Which perspectives might be interesting? Which sources could help you move forward? And which research method fits what you want to discover?
There is no single prescribed way to conduct research. Artistic and design research can generate new insights, open up different perspectives and challenge existing assumptions. The way you work and make can itself become part of your research.
For students
How does your work relate to what others make, think or write? How can you connect theory and practice? And how do you give direction to your research when you do not yet know exactly where it will lead?
At the Research Workshop, you can explore your work, interests and questions together with a teacher-researcher. You will have time to investigate, gain a fresh perspective on your work and receive guidance without being assessed.
You can come to the Research Workshop for:
- the weekly drop-in session on Wednesday afternoons;
- individual guidance, on site or online;
- support with research for a thesis or other study assignment;
- exploring your own question or interest in greater depth, including outside a study assignment;
- exploring research methods that fit your practice.
The Research Workshop also develops activities related to research, including a course for first-year students, a graduation colloquium and a growing collection of research methods.
For staff
As a staff member, you can also come to the Research Workshop with questions about research and professional development.
You may want to further develop or formalise research you are already doing, for example through a paper, publication, conference contribution or PhD project. But your question can also start somewhere else. In which direction would you like to develop? What knowledge do you need to do so? Or how can you gain a better understanding of a subject or practice beyond your current work?
The Research Workshop can help you explore these questions and turn possible next steps into something concrete. You can join the weekly drop-in session on Wednesday afternoons or make an appointment for individual guidance.
In the library
You can find the Research Workshop in the ArtEZ library in Zwolle. A natural place for research: you are literally surrounded by sources, ideas and perspectives.
Searching and researching here is about more than finding what you were already looking for. A book sitting next to the one you came to find might unexpectedly lead you in a new direction. A conversation might spark a different question. And, of course, the library staff can help you discover new sources and avenues to explore.
This makes the library not only a place where knowledge is kept, but also a place where new research can begin.
There is a weekly consultation hour every Wednesday afternoon in the library at the Zwolle location. Online guidance is available by appointment.
