Practice-based Perspectives | Creative Research with Michelle Wilson and John Phillips

What is creative research, and how can it be understood, supported, and sustained? How does practice-based inquiry contribute to universities’ capacity to address pressing global challenges? Join us at the Art Gallery of Guelph on Thursday, December 11 at 1 pm for the first in a series of dialogues involving varied faculty members and examining diverse sites of research—from artworks, performance, and film to exhibitions, theatre, and research labs—while exploring the role and impact of creative research.

In this session, Dr. Michelle Wilson and Dr. John Phillips will discuss their distinct research questions and processes, reflecting on how creative approaches generate new forms of knowledge. Focusing on Wilson’s work on view in AGG’s current exhibition Reworldings and Phillips’s recent projects including the spherical growroom designed for the Vaccarino Centre for Student Wellness, the conversation will consider how creative research interpolates artistic practice and scholarly inquiry, outlining conceptual frameworks, methodologies, and emerging opportunities for funding and institutional support.

Presented by the Art Gallery of Guelph with the support of the School of Theatre, English, and Creative Writing at the University of Guelph.

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Image details (left to right): Michelle Wilson & Yancey Kaskamin, Yancey (detail), 2024, marten hide, industrial wool felt, wool roving (wet and needle felted), shoelace, embroidery thread, imitation sinew, conductive thread, microprocessor. Courtesy of the artist | John Phillips, Archie (detail), 2024, CNC-cut and hand-finished wood, plants. Courtesy of the artist