The Arts and Design in Research Universities: Interdisciplinary Impacts and Practices

From 2012-2015 (as part of the Mellon-funded SPARC project), the A2RU research team interviewed upper-level administration, faculty, and students at 38 member institutions about the impact of their arts-integration initiatives, including teaching, research, and community projects. We asked about what impact they hoped for and what impact they actually saw. The Impacts Map is a graphic representation of the categories of impact we surfaced, and a framework and logic model for connecting impacts across domains. This arresting graphic provides a visual overview of the impacts of arts integration and interdisciplinarity in the university. It can be a tool for case-making, communication, and further inquiry.