Collaborations in art and medicine: institutional critique, patient participation, and emerging entanglements

Johnstone, Fiona

Abstract

Collaborations between artists and clinicians or biomedical researchers have become increasingly common in recent decades, and now constitute a distinctive category of art-science collaboration. This article reflects on the intellectual and material conditions of such collaborations, exploring two genealogies for these practices – “sciart” and arts and health – and paying attention to two key areas: 1) the need for stakeholders to recognise fine art practice as research and knowledge-production (rather than merely illustrative, educational or therapeutic); 2) the challenges and opportunities presented by patient-participant involvement. Finally, it explores critical medical humanities as an emergent framework currently shaping these kinds of collaborations.

Citation

Johnstone, F. (2023). Collaborations in art and medicine: institutional critique, patient participation, and emerging entanglements. Leonardo, 424-429. https://doi.org/10.1162/leon_a_02409

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 20, 2023
• Online Publication Date: May 25, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Apr 26, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 26, 2023
• Journal: Leonardo
• Print ISSN: 0024-094X
• Electronic ISSN: 1530-9282
• Publisher: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 424-429
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/leon_a_02409