A University of Aberdeen academic is among those awarded a share of a research grant for studies on the wellbeing of arts organisations founded by, with and for communities of colour.
Dr Nour Halabi, Interdisciplinary Research Fellow in the School of Social Sciences, has received funding from The Wallace Foundation, a US organisation focused on fostering equality and improvements in learning for young people and others in the arts.
Working with Chicago-based arts service Silk Road Rising, the partnership will see Dr Halabi and Dr Roaa Ali, a researcher at the University of Manchester, examine the role and impact of arts service organisations in shaping the American Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) theatre community over the last two decades.
The study will contribute to the growing body of research on historically marginalized SWANA arts service organisations and their relationship to their communities. Employing a cultural mapping method, Silk Road Rising will lay out its networks, influence and impact and engage in conversations with SWANA theatre makers to identify community needs and cultural resources that can be addressed by arts service providers.
Dr Halabi is part of an interdisciplinary team focused on addressing social inclusion and diversity challenges as part of the University’s Aberdeen 2040 strategic plan.
"I am honoured to be partnering with SWANA and the minority arts organisation Silk Road Rising on this important project understanding the experiences of Muslim and SWANA artists and creatives,” she said.
“I hope that this project marks the beginning of a continuing cooperation with SWANA arts organisations as well as The Wallace Foundation research initiatives."
The study is part of a body of nearly 50 research projects the Wallace Foundation is funding with grants totalling $2.8 million over the five years of its ongoing arts initiative. Funded in recognition of a historical lack of investment in arts organisations of colour and the under-documentation of their contributions, the projects are designed to answer questions pertinent to the field, and ultimately to advance practice, inform policy and help build thriving communities.
"Our research will use cultural mapping to illuminate the intricate network of relationships and actions that continue to build the American SWANA theatre sector,” said Jamil Khoury, founding co-executive artistic director at Silk Road Rising.
“We know that now more than ever, SWANA artmakers and community organisers seek strength in community. This project advances our efforts to historise and futurise an arts ecosystem that is integral to the power and wellbeing of our cultures and communities."