Arts Action Research Organization

Arts Action Research Organization
Name	Arts Action Research Organization
Formation	2004
Type	Nonprofit research collective
Headquarters	New York City
Region served	International
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	Maria Delgado

Arts Action Research Organization is an international nonprofit collective combining creative practice, community engagement, and empirical inquiry to address social and cultural challenges through arts-based interventions. Founded in 2004, the organization operates across urban and rural contexts, producing exhibitions, participatory performance, policy briefs, and pedagogical materials that intersect with heritage, public health, civic rights, and spatial justice. Its work engages artists, activists, scholars, and municipal agencies to translate arts methodologies into measurable social outcomes.

History

The organization emerged from collaborations among artist-activists associated with Sundance Film Festival, community organizers linked to ACLU, and researchers from Columbia University. Early projects drew attention at venues such as Tate Modern and Brooklyn Museum, and received support from funders including Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation. In 2010 the collective expanded its remit following partnerships with United Nations Development Programme and municipal bodies like New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Significant milestones include a 2013 citywide intervention responding to processes similar to those highlighted by Jane Jacobs and a 2017 initiative aligned with movements associated with Black Lives Matter and advocacy by organizations such as Amnesty International.

Mission and Objectives

The stated mission prioritizes culturally situated research that advances participatory practice across sectors represented by UNESCO, World Health Organization, and international heritage bodies like ICOMOS. Objectives include co-producing knowledge with communities alongside partners such as Smithsonian Institution, influencing policy debates at forums like World Economic Forum, and producing evidence used by institutions including National Endowment for the Arts and European Cultural Foundation. Strategic goals emphasize intersectional work that resonates with campaigns led by Greenpeace and public-interest litigation exemplified by cases before European Court of Human Rights.

Organizational Structure

Governance combines a volunteer Board of Directors with advisory members drawn from institutions such as Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, and Goldsmiths, University of London. Operational teams include curatorial units, research labs, and outreach coordinators who liaise with municipal partners like City of London Corporation and cultural agencies like Arts Council England. The organization maintains regional offices modeled on networks similar to Open Society Foundations and coordinates fellows whose profiles parallel those at MacArthur Foundation programs.

Programs and Projects

Signature programs encompass public art commissions comparable to projects at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, participatory health interventions referencing initiatives by Partners In Health, and site-specific residencies with institutions like Centre Pompidou. Projects have included community mapping inspired by methods used at Geographic Information Systems workshops in partnership with NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, and urban soundscape studies echoing commissions by BBC and NPR. The organization has convened symposiums alongside festivals like Venice Biennale and hosted workshops in collaboration with Serpentine Galleries.

Research and Methodology

Research protocols combine qualitative ethnography with action-research techniques pioneered in contexts such as Freirean pedagogies and participatory evaluation frameworks used by UNICEF. Methodological approaches integrate archival work informed by collections at MoMA and systematic impact assessment models similar to those used by RAND Corporation. The collective publishes mixed-method case studies paralleling work found in journals associated with MIT Press and employs participatory mapping and arts-based evaluation strategies informed by practitioners from institutions like Tate Britain and Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Collaborators span cultural institutions, universities, and advocacy groups including Harvard University, Princeton University, National Gallery (London), and civil-society partners such as Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières. Cross-sector alliances have involved municipal agencies including San Francisco Arts Commission and international networks like International Council on Monuments and Sites. The organization has engaged corporate partners in philanthropic programs with entities similar to Google Arts & Culture and philanthropic initiatives associated with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Notable Works and Impact

Notable outputs include a long-term archive project produced in dialogue with collections at Library of Congress and a participatory theatre series that influenced local ordinances in municipalities akin to Philadelphia City Council. Evaluations report measurable outcomes in community cohesion and policy change comparable to documented impacts by Nesta and Brookings Institution. Recognition has come in the form of awards and citations related to fellowships at Guggenheim Fellowship and honors similar to the Pulitzer Prize citation patterns, and case studies of the organization’s methods have been taught in curricula at Royal College of Art and Columbia University School of the Arts.

Category:Arts organizations Category:Nonprofit organizations based in New York City