As part of our EC3R programme in partnership with the University of Toronto, we are delighted to provide small grants for 8 ECR projects across the UK and Canada. The aim of the EC3R scheme is to support the ECR career development of those working at the intersection of the arts, humanities and health across three strands:
CAPACITY. Support with skills development to enable ECRs to deliver timely research.
CONNECT. Bring together ECRs to connect over shared research priorities, engage in reflective dialogues, and build networks.
COLLABORATE. Facilitate collaboration to address cross-cutting research gaps.
The projects we are funding are as follows:
UK projects
Laura Blight (Falmouth University) leads a project entitled Space to Write with colleague Jessie Edwards-Thomas (University of West of England). Laura’s grant will facilitate the ReWilding Creativity Residency, bringing together 12 ECRs to reflect upon the importance of care in the art process and providing space and mentorship to develop a collaborative funding bid.
Sorcha Dunne (University College London) leads a project entitled Creative RoOTs - A Creative Occupational Therapy Network with colleague Hannah Sercombe. Sorcha’s grant will go towards the development of a new network for occupational therapists (OTs) who are interested in the intersection of the arts, humanities and health, providing opportunities for OTs to showcase their work and network with one another.
Jamie Eastman (University College London) leads on a project entitled Beginning a Toolkit for MASc Creative Health Community with colleagues Elle Charlton, Sorcha Dunne, Lilac Khatib, Katt Wright, Todd Henkin and Becky Floyd. Jamie’s project will co-create an ECR Creative Health toolkit via two workshops, supporting ECRs with learning research methodologies and developing their skills.
Elizabeth Turk (University of Cambridge) leads a project entitled Mongolian Therapeutic Art: tracking and tracing a shaman healer’s tunic. Elizabeth’s project aims to use a museum-based object that one once used by a healer to facilitate knowledge-exchange between different communities, also creating a short film that will be displayed at various exhibitions.
Canadian projects
Shemine Gulamhusein (University of Victoria) leads a project entitled Creating voice together: An arts-based health promotion knowledge-exchange with colleague Emma Naismith. Shemine’s project will involve bringing together ECRs and student support staff to engage in an arts-based health promotion project that involves is grounded in collaborative poetry and reverse ekphrastic (poems written about works of art).
Alison Humphrey (York University, Toronto) who leads a project entitled Shadowcasting from Masiphumelele to Manitoulin: “Citizen Science Fiction” as Mixed-Reality Role-Play for Civic, Scientific and Media Literacy. Alison’s grant will facilitate a “citizen science fiction” knowledge-exchange summit with Asiphe Ntshongontshi from South Africa (theatre artist and peer health educator) to develop The Shadowpox Project which utilises role-playing to explore vaccine confidence.
Kimberly J. Lopez (University of Waterloo) who leads a project entitled Cultivating Care-Full Futures through Transformative Justice and Liberatory Methodologies with colleagues Giana Tomas, Crystal-Jade Cargill, Jaylyn Leighton, Kelly-Ann Wright, Lisbeth Berbary and Darla Fortune. Kimberly’s grant will facilitate a 3-day intensive writing-learning retreat, focusing on critical and liberatory qualitative methodologies.
Vivetha Thambinathan (Western University) who leads a project entitled Innovative Arts-Based Participatory Action Research Health Methods: Memory Box Narratives & Avatar-Based Focus Groups for Community Healing. Vivetha’s project will involve running an interactive knowledge-exchange and training workshop to share arts-based health research methods.
Congratulations to our successful applicants and thank you to all of the incredible ECRs who applied for this opportunity! To learn more about our EC3R funding, visit the UCL website.