CRAIG BATTY, President, DDCA (2022-2025)
Those who know me know that I like a bit of a ‘call to arms’ – I’m not afraid to put the cat amongst the pigeons, so to speak, to galvanise and (hopefully) inspire. So, as we find ourselves here again on this very topic, here goes.
If we want to move forward – to really initiate change for the benefit of us all – we need to take action. This DDCA Forum: New designs on research evaluation, 2025, with its planned outcomes, is one step towards this – but what we need to do collectively is commit to actions, whether they be responses to policy, initiating meetings with key stakeholders, publishing on our ideas and models (yes, they do get seen), or for example, getting the university DVC-research group in a room together to outline our proposals. But yes, easier said than done!
One issue in doing this – noting the support that the DDCA can offer – is having the right people who are interested enough to do this kind of work … stepping out of the individual’s discipline, in all honesty, and of course stepping out of their own research projects to some extent … to take on the mantle and be an advocate in and for the field – creative arts research writ large.
Added to this, of course, are workload pressures – which appear to be more pronounced than ever … and the elephant in the room, the state of the sector right now, where creative arts and humanities areas in particular are taking a bit of a beating, with program closures, job losses, etc.
We have an opportunity here to turn the dial and put creative practice research – or however we wish to name it – front and centre where it belongs (biased, yes, but …) We have some people we can hold up as exemplars of those working in high-level, impactful creative research spaces; we also have the case studies of projects and programs of work to show to industry, community, Government, etc., but they are largely in our heads or internal repositories right now. How can we ensure this work is out there to showcase the capacity of our field, and start to have a bigger influence, creating a legacy for those who will come after us?
Creative practice researchers need to be at the table with bodies such as the ARC, NHMRC, CRC, but who are the people we can take to the table? How do we identify and support them to become the champions and legacy-makers for our work? What can we do now for the future? We are genuinely open to ideas!
One small but hopefully important step the DDCA is currently working on is creating a large showcase event in the forum of a creative practice festival. The aim of which is to bring people together across disciplines and sectors to show what creative practice can do for society, culture, the environment, and more. We are aiming to hold the inaugural event in mid-2026 and it will be a collaboration between the DDCA, RMIT University and Adelaide University. More details will be shared in the coming months. This event will provide the ‘tad-ah’ moment, especially for those outside the creative arts disciplines, in recognising how creative practice research can be embedded in global challenges and/or scaled up for excellence and impact. Seeing is believing, and the DDCA really wants to showcase this work, some of which might be live and in the moment, so others can understand and make it part of core business. The festival is aimed to make ‘the penny to drop’, and hopefully financial sponsorship will follow!
This is our call for leadership to build legacy. It’s time to stop talking and start doing – let us transition from deficit discourse to proactive interventions. Starting today.