Call for Participation

CIRCLE is delighted to announce our first community of practice, The Arts-Based Research Circle (ABR Circle). This interdisciplinary, institution-wide community provides a space for scholars whose research activities are informed by their own artistic process/work at any stage of a research endeavor.  This community of practice is being established to build a network of support for ABR practitioners in any field of study to share ABR experiences and projects, nurture idea development, provide compassionate accountability structures, and, when mutually beneficial, collaborate on new ABR projects.

ABR CIRCLE Goals

• Broaden discourse around what counts as research through the arts
• Establish an intellectual and artistic home for ABR practitioners at MSU
• Raise the profile of arts-based research, elevating the arts as valuable forms of knowledge production in and of themselves, and within interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research.
• Provide a supportive multidisciplinary ABR community that provides accountability for moving projects forward to completion/dissemination.

ABR CIRCLE Potential Activities

• Discuss ABR methodologies and research ethics 
• Create a database of shared resources (conference recommendations, publication opportunities, connections with ABR colleagues elsewhere on campus or in their field of study, share news about events specifically relevant to members of the community of practice, etc.) 
• Share and receive feedback on projects, find project collaborators, share completed projects, celebrate successes, connect with mentors, and discuss research and career trajectories in ABR.
• Develop language to communicate clearly and effectively with colleagues, administrators, publishers, journal editors, and others about what ABR is and isn’t, along with how valuable it is as a means of knowledge production. 
• Have scheduled maker sessions (in lieu of strictly a “writing group”)
• Share or disseminate ABR activities, knowledge, and projects across the MSU campus and other postsecondary institutions.

The ABR Circle welcomes faculty (including tenure-track, fixed-term, and academic specialists), staff, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students who are currently engaged in arts-based research at any stage of their research practice.  Members of this community of practice are those who are already actively engaged, or who have previously engaged, in ABR.

The ABR Circle will meet at least monthly, in person, during the 2026 Spring Semester. During the first meeting, the group will establish a meeting schedule for SS26, FS26, and, if desired, the summer of 2026.  At this meeting, we will collaborate to establish community norms and expectations, establish expectations of community aims and outputs for SS26, and draft aims and outputs for the remainder of the calendar year.   

Given the humanizing nature of much arts-based research and the collaborative and supportive nature of this community, ABR Circle meetings will primarily be held in person. Participants should expect to attend all meetings. t

To apply, please complete this form and attach your CV, along with a sample of your ABR scholarship (incomplete work and works-in-progress welcome).  Those who engage with any art form at any stage of research are welcome to apply.

For full consideration, please apply by March 9, 2026.