The Artist as Doctor (of Fine Arts)

Earlier this year, cultural organizer, writer and artist Ashok Mathur left his position as head of the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at the University of British Columbia Okanagan to become dean of Graduate Studies at OCAD University. He made the shift after discerning OCAD U’s unique potential to critically engage the implementation of practice-based research in the framework of the academic institution—a movement that has seen notable progress in scholarly environments outside of Canada. Two months into his decanal post, Mathur released a detailed list of items he was interested in pursuing at the school; among them, the investigation of a doctorate in practice-based research. A PhD in visual arts employs the methodology of research-creation, which, although distinct to the field, has recently gained recognition for its value in the academy across disciplinary boundaries. I corresponded with Mathur about research-creation, its utility as a methodology, the significance of its emergence in Canadian institutions and what it has to offer to artists who may be looking to undertake doctoral studies.

—K. Hart

K. HART: What is research-creation?

ASHOK MATHUR: Research-creation is the concept of artistic production that incorporates various forms and levels of in-depth research. This results in creative work that shows clear evidence of a research practice without overdetermining the work with what some might deride as an overly academic approach. We view the output from a research-creation project as something embodying the principles of research