Thesis Format
Monograph
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Media Studies
Supervisor
Fullerton, Romayne
Abstract
This doctoral project outlines the methodological process of using arts-informed storytelling to illustrate the experiences of six urban Indigenous Peoples who live in London, Ontario. The strategy is a qualitative method influenced by artistic processes and expressive qualities to deepen understanding of human experiences. The technique involves illustrating personal experiences, often using multimedia in photographs, artwork, text, audio, music, crafts, or some combination of these cultural products. I aim to build on previous studies that use storytelling methods in their research by employing this participatory and multimodal approach. This dissertation tries to make new contributions to media studies by offering a first-person account of how my experience using arts-informed storytelling unfolded as an emergent and iterative process.
For this study, I facilitated a storytelling process by asking six Indigenous contributors to share and tell their own stories related to life and living in the city. I also interviewed the contributors about their experiences in creating their works. In this dissertation, I explore what the stories suggest about the experiences of the six contributors. I also document how arts-informed storytelling can be an essential addition to qualitative approaches by addressing the complexities, potential opportunities, and limitations of using the method. While this dissertation offers a widely accepted way of documenting my doctoral project’s findings, I also curated a virtual exhibition for knowledge translation to make the creators’ stories more accessible beyond academic contexts.
Summary for Lay Audience
My Ph.D. project uses arts-informed storytelling to share the experiences of six Indigenous Peoples living in London, Ontario. Arts-informed research is a qualitative method influenced by artistic processes and expressive qualities to deepen understanding of human experiences. My aim is to build on previous research that uses storytelling approaches and add new insights to the field of media studies by sharing a personal account of how my experience with using my method gradually developed and evolved.
For this study, I facilitated a storytelling process by asking six Indigenous Peoples to share and tell their stories about life and living in the city. I also spoke with them about their experiences in creating their stories. My work is rooted in my personal journey of learning and understanding the experiences of those I worked with in this process. In this project, I explore what these stories say about the experiences of the six contributors who created them. I also explain how using arts-informed storytelling can be a valuable way of doing research by considering the challenges, possible benefits, and limitations of using this method. Although this project documents the findings in a traditional academic way, I have also put together a virtual exhibition. This exhibition aims to make the stories available and understandable to a broader audience, not just those involved in academics.
Recommended Citation
Sherwood, Percy, "Arts-Informed Storytelling: How Arts-Informed Research was Used with Six Indigenous Peoples in London, Ont." (2024). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 10090.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/10090
Creative Commons License
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