Excellent results research assessment ArtEZ
- Research
The professorships of ArtEZ University of the Arts were validated together as a research unit. The final report has now been published on the website of the Vereniging Hogescholen and it is with pride that we can share the results.
The visitation was carried out by an independent panel in accordance with the national validation system which is formally arranged in the Brancheprotocol Kwaliteitszorg Onderzoek (BKO) by the Vereniging Hogescholen. The panel, consisting of Prof. Dr. David Theo Goldberg (Director, University of California Humanities Research Institute), Dr. Evelyn Wan (Utrecht University), Dr. Christine de Lille (TU Delft / Haagse Hogeschool) and Raoul van Aalst (chair AeQui), was very positive about the unit: based on the five BKO standards the research was assessed as excellent.
Research profile and portfolio
The research profile and research programme of the research unit were rated excellent. As the final report states: ‘ArtEZ research aims to contribute to build “alternative and humane futures” by conducting high-quality, original and progressive, methodologically professional and socially relevant research’. The panel was impressed by the shared vision, the explicit political conviction of the research manifesto ‘Making Other Kinds of Futures’, and the way this shared vision is lived and reflected in all the activities of the research unit.
Relevance and impact
The relevance of the research and the realization of impact was also rated excellent. According to the panel, the research unit succeeds in performing highly relevant work in various fields, with a significant impact on education, the professional field and knowledge production.
Organisation research unit
The way in which the research unit is organized was also found to be excellent. The panel was impressed by the unit’s network, which is not only large but also made productive, as shown by the collaborations with university partners such as Wageningen University & Research and Radboud University.
Special attention for APRIA
In general, the panel expressed its special appreciation for the fact that ArtEZ always considers its research as a joint endeavour. The new online peer-reviewed journal and platform APRIA (ArtEZ Platform for Research Interventions of the Arts) is seen as a very valuable initiative, because it offers the opportunity to share artistic and design-driven research on critical and urgent themes in an innovative way, for example by publishing essays and other image or sounds contributions.
The panel recommended to further develop the research culture within ArtEZ and to increase the visibility of the research activities.
Overwhelming results
Dr. Nishant Shah, who is responsible for the development of research at ArtEZ as director of Research & Outreach, dr. Daniëlle Bruggeman (professor of Fashion), dr. Jeroen van den Eijnde (professor Tactical Design), dr. Artur Jaschke (proffesor Music-based Therapies and Interventions), dr. Jeroen Lutters (professor Art education as Critical Tactics) en dr. Peter Sonderen (professor Theory in the Arts) are overwhelmed by the positive results.
“The result of the visitation is a testament to the ambitions and aspirations of a community that is poised to create change. It recognises that art research is messy, emergent, and urgent. The results are inspiring for us and we are grateful that this expert panel endorses the vision of an entangled practice and the manifesto to make other kinds of futures. However, this is also a responsibility that the panel puts on us, to continue exploring the difficult questions that we ask and live with”, says Prof. Dr. Nishant Shah.