The term was first coined by
Elliot Eisner, who was a professor of Art and Education at the
Stanford Graduate School of Education and one of the United States' leading academic minds. Eisner used the term "art-based research" as the title of a conference presentation held at
Stanford University in 1993. Subsequently, the concept of art-based research was defined by
Shaun McNiff, professor of
Creative Arts Therapies at
Lesley College, as "the systematic use of the artistic process, the actual making of artistic expressions in all of the different forms of the arts, as a primary way of understanding and examining experience by both researchers and the people that they involve in their studies". It was later additionally defined as "research that uses the arts, in the broadest sense, to explore, understand, represent and even challenge human action and experience". and American philosopher
Susanne Langer, both of whom elucidated the use of artistic experimentation and production as a means by which to acquire and document knowledge about the art, the artist, and its audience, inspiring a range of academic programs that facilitated students in using the process of making art, including performance, painting, and music as the means by which to understand the nature of human experience, teaching, and learning. Arts-Based research is often paired with
action research,
participatory action research and
community-based participatory research methodologies. Today, art-based research is employed not only in arts education, but also in
health care, management, the
social and
behavioral sciences, and the technology sector. == Branches ==