Research at ArtEZ

For us, research is about more than theory or analysis. Our research grows out of the daily practice of makers, researchers and students. It is a way of thinking and working that begins with making – with questions that arise directly from practice. 

We work on pressing issues related to learning, care, sustainability, identity and artistic innovation. This takes place across four professorships and a dedicated UNESCO Chair.

At ArtEZ, learning and research are not separate activities – together they form the basis of your development as a maker. Research begins with what you create and develops from your own curiosity and reflections. Why do you choose this form? What does your work mean today? In what ways can art make an impact?

Every programme weaves research into teaching in its own way. You explore materials, concepts or social questions both within and beyond your programme. 

You can also delve deeper outside the curriculum, for example in the Honours Lab or by working with a professorship. You collaborate with other students, lecturers and researchers, both inside and outside ArtEZ. A research-minded approach helps you stay agile, critical and creative in a constantly changing world. 

Since 2023, we have also been working with the Professional Doctorate (PD) trajectory – a post-master’s programme at the highest level within the university of applied sciences sector.

From art and design, we explore current themes such as technology, care, education and sustainability. We do this within our professorships, through international collaborations and within the UNESCO Chair. 

We focus on three research domains: Sustainable Ecosystems, Prototyping Futures, and Ecologies of Art Practices, Health & Well-being. Three themes cut across these domains: Education & Society, Technology & AI, and Sustainable Business Models & Social Earning Capacity. 

This approach enables cross-disciplinary collaboration. From fashion to music therapy, from design to education: our professorships form an open network in which art and society strengthen one another. 

The outcomes of our research appear in many forms: From essays and books to performances, podcasts and online publications. You can find these on the ArtEZ Platform for Research Interventions of the Arts (APRIA) and in the accompanying online journal. Through our own publishing house, ArtEZ Press, we publish research outputs as well as books on art, arts education and arts research. 

Much of our research is carried out in collaboration with partners beyond ArtEZ University of the Arts. A good example is NewTexEco, our research community where designers, students, researchers and companies work together on circular textile innovations. This practice-based research shows how creative expertise and technological development can reinforce one another, with visible impact on society. Students also contribute to research, through projects within their programme or by taking part in research within one of the professorships.

Curious to learn more about our research and how you can be involved?

Contact us at researchcentre@artez.nl