Arts-based methods in participatory research within gerontology

Art can provide access to embodied and sensory forms of knowing. Arts-based approaches to research —such as visual art, movement, and storytelling—generate knowledge in collaboration with participants and open new perspectives on aging. This interactive workshop introduces arts-based methods as tools for participatory research in gerontology. Participants will actively engage in hands-on techniques. During the workshop, participants will join in a shared artistic experience and reflect on this experience through arts-based methods. Participants will experience first-hand and discuss how these methods can complement traditional approaches and how they can be integrated into research design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Arts-based methods can deepen understanding of aging well in a globalized world by supporting inclusion of voices often marginalized in research, offering creative tools to engage with lived experiences of what “aging well” means across different contexts. No prior artistic skills are required; curiosity and openness are welcome.