Steve Garner
July 2009
Drawing: Towards a community of research and practice
There has been much speculation on the notion of ‘communities of practice’ over the past two decades. It has particularly stimulated practitioners and researchers in art and design. But to what extent does the emerging international engagement with drawing represent a new community of practice?
This presentation explores the relationship of research and practice in drawing today. It examines some accepted indicators of community and highlights the role of the Drawing Research Network in supporting the development of a new community identity that embraces inquiry and output. The presentation proposes that we have the opportunity to establish a new drawing community where research and practice are integrated. It is proposed that the essential factors are the support of critical discourse and the existence of an agenda.
CV
Dr Steve Garner is a Senior Lecturer in Design at the Open University in the UK. He is the leader of the second level course titled Design and Designing, and he contributes to other courses including a new first level course titled Design Thinking. His research interests include the use of representations in design (particularly digital representations, sketches, and sketch models), computer supported collaborative designing and distance design education. He has published widely on drawing and designing.
He is Director of the international Drawing Research Network. He is currently Principal Investigator on a JISC research project that aims to support distance design education and a Leverhulme Trust project that seeks to combine eye tracking technology with computer supported concept design. In 2008 Intellect published ‘Writing on Drawing’, a collection of essays he edited.
Drawing: Towards a community of research and practice
There has been much speculation on the notion of ‘communities of practice’ over the past two decades. It has particularly stimulated practitioners and researchers in art and design. But to what extent does the emerging international engagement with drawing represent a new community of practice?
This presentation explores the relationship of research and practice in drawing today. It examines some accepted indicators of community and highlights the role of the Drawing Research Network in supporting the development of a new community identity that embraces inquiry and output. The presentation proposes that we have the opportunity to establish a new drawing community where research and practice are integrated. It is proposed that the essential factors are the support of critical discourse and the existence of an agenda.
CV
Dr Steve Garner is a Senior Lecturer in Design at the Open University in the UK. He is the leader of the second level course titled Design and Designing, and he contributes to other courses including a new first level course titled Design Thinking. His research interests include the use of representations in design (particularly digital representations, sketches, and sketch models), computer supported collaborative designing and distance design education. He has published widely on drawing and designing.
He is Director of the international Drawing Research Network. He is currently Principal Investigator on a JISC research project that aims to support distance design education and a Leverhulme Trust project that seeks to combine eye tracking technology with computer supported concept design. In 2008 Intellect published ‘Writing on Drawing’, a collection of essays he edited.
