Art for the Sake of Care. Publication launch
About this event
'Art for the Sake of Care' is an edited collection of articles contributing to care aesthetics, art research and care studies. The launch event will provide a snapshot of the publication edited by Merel Visse (Drew University, U.S.A.) and Elena Cologni (Anglia Ruskin University), and will also be an opportunity to discuss some of the ideas with the authors.
At the intersection of art, aesthetics, and care lies the potential for reimagining how we sustain our world at this time of political, ecological, and societal crises through the transformative power of creative and caring practices.
This special issue showcases over 30 authors with contributions rooted in artistic practice, offering fresh perspectives on care. They respond to what Ellen Dissanayake, once wrote: “Lacking mutuality, we lack humanity” (1992, p. 43). Now, more than three decades later, in this current particularly challenging moment, we find ourselves yearning for more than just our lost humanity. We crave respect for all species and a more fluid, interconnected understanding of existence. We’re becoming increasingly aware of the deep interdependence of all life forms, urging us to transcend traditional boundaries and embrace a renewed perspective to life and how we care for it. This quest for interconnectedness and inter-species respect is not just a desire or ‘nice,’ but a necessity for a harmonious, caring future (Puíg de la Bellacasa, 2017; Varpanen et al., 2024).
This special issue, Art for the Sake of Care, emerged from five-years of collaboration and joins the chorus of the quickly developing interest in the nexus of Art & Care, for example through artistic, practice-led research creation on care (Travis et al., 2024; Slager, 2024; Springay, 2022; Bickel & Fisher, 2022; ARIAS, n.d.; HKU, n.d.), research on the concept of (feminist) “care aesthetics” (Thompson, 2022; Saito, 2022; Cologni, 2020a, 2020b). And research in related but distinct fields such as art therapy, worldwide Arts & Health programs (Sonke et al., 2024; Lewis et al, 2024; Sajnani, 2023; Fancourt, 2017; Fancourt & Finn, 2019; Pesata et al., 2022), and many more.
Visse, M. & Cologni, E. (Eds) (2024). Art for the sake of care. Special issue of International Journal of Education & the Arts, 25(1).
This event is linked to the exhibition Practicing Care through Art. A new Care Aesthetics, with the support of the MA Art Health and Wellbeing students, Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University (UK) and MA and DMH Health Humanities Program, Drew University (USA).
Kindly supported by the Impact Project Fund, AHESS Research Funding, ARU
Please join us for a free drinks reception.
Event presented as part of the Cambridge Festival.