ABSTRACT
An account is provided of a UK national seminar series on Arts, Health and Wellbeing funded by the Economic and Social Research Council during 2012-13. Four seminars were organised addressing current issues and challenges facing the field. Details of the programme and its outputs are available online. A central concern of the seminar programme was to provide a foundation for creating a UK national network for researchers in the field to help promote evidence-based policy and practice. With funding from Lankelly Chase Foundation, and the support of the Royal Society for Public Health, a Special interest Group for Arts, Health and Wellbeing was launched in 2015.
ABSTRACT
The field of arts in health is currently undergoing a burgeoning in activity. However, there remains a problem surrounding research into this field. Arts in health research can be confusing and is frequently misunderstood by those working in the arts and in health, artists, reviewers, researchers and funders. Aesop 1 is a framework specially devised to tackle these problems. It synthesises existing arts research methodologies, health research methodologies, health policy documents and reporting guidelines in order to guide projects right from the initial idea for an arts intervention, through the development and design of a research project, its delivery and its dissemination. This article outlines the rationale behind the framework and explains how it should be used, with the aim of facilitating the running of arts and health research projects and increasing their rigour and acceptance within both the arts and health communities.
