A Field Guide to Artist-Researcher Collaborations: Book Launch

Description

This was a creative launch of a creative book about creative collaborations, and was part of a A Day of Co-creation with the Binks Hub and Outwith, which celebrated participatory and creative forms of research practices.
The Field Guide to Artist-Researcher Collaborations is an exciting new resource for people who would like to collaborate ethically with artists but aren’t sure where to start.
Attendees at the launch were invited by co-authors Rhiannon Bull, Jean McEwan and Jimmy Turner to engage with some of the creative exercises using drawing, poetry, sculpture and games that they have developed in the Field Guide to help people conceptualise, design and ethically carry out collaborative work with artists. The team shared stories about the genesis, philosophy, and process of making the Field Guide, and attendees were invited to share their own plans, experiences and wisdom about the role of creative collaborations in research.

The event was also be the launch of the brand new Outwith Field Guides series, of which A Field Guide to Artist-Researcher Collaborations is the first example. Nel Coleman from the University Library introduced the series, and offered tantalising details of the other Field Guides which are currently in development.

Rhiannon Bull is a writer of fiction and narrative non-fiction, an illustrator, and a painter based in Edinburgh. Rhiannon is currently undertaking PhD research at the University of Glasgow using creative writing to explore climate emotions in Scotland.
Jean McEwan is a visual and participatory artist who has worked with communities and research projects for 20+ years. Based near Bradford but also working nationally, she facilitates collage, zine-making and creative journaling as means to explore meaning, stories and messages with people.
Susan Morrison has been an MC at The Stand Comedy club since the day it opened, and she has taken to the stage in clubs from Bournemouth to Inverness. She is a writer, broadcaster and comedian with two grown-up children and a very patient husband. She is passionate about creating new ways for researchers and academics to bring their work to the public through her work with the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas, the Bright Club and The Provocateurs. In 2025, Napier University celebrated her achievements in public engagement by granting her an honorary doctorate.
Jimmy Turner is a woodworker, sculptor, curator and anthropologist who works as a researcher for the Binks Hub at the University of Edinburgh. They concentrate on designing and developing research and arts projects with community organisations, through which community members can explore their curiosities and priorities through art and creativity.

Period	2 Apr 2026
Event type	Symposium
Degree of Recognition	National