PLO2: Critique and synthesize research and identify appropriate research methodologies to solve problems in the field.
SAA Core Value(s):
- Actively contribute ideas and resources to our field’s body of theoretical and practical scholarship.
Over the course of this class students were tasked with developing a research question and conducting preliminary research to answer said question. I sought to answer the question “Which materials present in an arts organization’s archives can be used to better understand the culture and history of said arts organization? Can these materials be used to better orient new hires and quicken their integration into the company culture?” I found 10 relevant articles on the topic of archives related to dance companies or choreographers to assess how those archives are used, what challenges they faced, and how could they be repurposed for the needs of their user base. Research showed that there is a need for “Artist-driven-archives” which act differently than the traditional archive, they must be flexible and adapt to the ephemerality of the field of dance itself. Based on this insights I developed a set of questionnaires to gather data from the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company to access their needs as they relate to archival use/awareness and satisfaction with their onboarding process. The goal here is to show that dance companies often underutilize their archives for new hires. This valuable information about the organization’s history and videos of past performances can be an excellent tool to establish culture, investment in the organization, and inform new hires on how they can contribute to the legacy.
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