Structuring arts-based analysis in portraiture research

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the development of an innovative arts-based analysis process within the framework of portraiture methodology. The paper provides an example of how to incorporate multi-modal forms of analysis within the portraiture framework and offers a fluid, qualitative “recipe” for researchers interested in using portraiture methodology.Design/methodology/approachThe study described in this paper explores vulnerability and resilience in teaching, using poetry and visual art as integrated elements of the portraiture process. Portraiture is a qualitative, feminist, artistic methodology that draws from ethnography and phenomenology to describe, understand and interpret complex human experiences.FindingsThis research resulted in the methodological development of three stages of analysis within the portraiture process: drafting vignettes, poetic expression and artistic expression. These stages of data analysis highlight the methodological richness of portraiture and center the researcher’s engagement in creative, intuitive and associative processes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to existing scholarship that extends portraiture methodology by including additional aesthetic elements and offers a roadmap for what a multi-modal, arts-based analysis process might look like within the portraiture framework.Originality/valueThe study presented in this paper serves as an example of qualitative research that expands methodological boundaries and centers the role of intuition, association and creativity in research. This work serves as a unique and important contribution to the portraiture literature, offering a provocative roadmap for researchers who are drawn to portraiture as an appropriate methodology to explore their inquiry.