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Artist-Led Practice: Bridging Art and Life

Type: Calls For Papers [View all]
Posted by: MDPI
Deadline: Sat, February 28th, 2026

 Dear Colleagues,

Submissions are invited to this Special Issue on artist-led practice that foregrounds Deweyan aesthetics and their heritage as they are found in the ‘practice turn’ across academia that privileges process, embodiment and experience.

In art’s discourse, ‘artist-led’ practice is often historicised via the alternative space movement: when artists re-purposed derelict buildings left by New York’s de-industrialisation. Across the arts and spatial disciplines, the term artist-led (and the inter-related and often inter-changeable terms of artist-run and self-organisation) continues to denote the work of artists and artist collectives who are making and organising alternative spaces of production and presentation in urban and also rural contexts (Crawshaw 2020), but with different foci. The discourse on curatorial and gallery practice has long been concerned with the extent to which these ‘alternative spaces’ replicate or re-shape the art world’s institutions and organisations, whilst spatial academia across urban and rural studies gives attention to how and to what level the work supports well-worn policy tropes of regeneration and renewal for example (Crawshaw 2022). What unites these otherwise quite disconnected literature themes is that both tend to privilege the sociological trope of the network, where the work as it is denoted both institutionally and spatially is often conceptualised as a network of relations between artists and other professionals, objects, and entities.

In contrast, the neo vitalist turn that we are experiencing across academia is challenging this network ontology of practice. Here, the contemporary literature of organisation studies, for example, supports us to differentiate organising practises from practice as a process of becoming (Simpson 2018). Of particular interest in this Special Issue of Arts is that this ‘practice turn’ in organisation studies and beyond takes influence from Deweyan aesthetics-as-experience. Dewey developed his aesthetics throughout his body of work and has influenced many fields of knowledge. Art as Experience (Dewey 1934) is, however, a key influence in the development of process-based artwork, performance, and social engagement. As such, in this Special Issue, we take Art as Experience as a key informant that bridges art and life through a privileging process and radical embodiment. So, how does the Deweyan experience and its contemporary heritage, as it is found, for example, in neo-vitalism and post-humanism, relate to artist-led practice/s? How does a practice-led approach to artist-led practice perform across practice academia? How can Deweyan aesthetics support the artist-led?

In this multi-disciplinary context, this Special Issue on “Artist-Led Practice: Bridging Art and Life” invites us to (re)turn to Deweyan aesthetics to contribute practice-led contributions that engage with artist-led practice for performing practice. The issue will supplement the existing literature by (1) foregrounding what artist-led practice brings to the practice turn in academia across the arts, spatial disciplines, and organisation studies (broadly defined); (2) bringing together a range of practice-based ‘methodologies’ that bring practice to the fore; and (3) support productive practice-led translation between disciplines. Contributions are encouraged from artists and curators, museum and gallery studies, urban and rural studies, organisation studies, and their relations.

“We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200 words summarising their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors (email: julie.crawshaw@northumbria.ac.uk) or to /Arts/ editorial office (arts@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.”

Submission Planning:
- Submission link for abstracts: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/arts/special_issues/596GT4Q1OR/abstract
- Submission of final manuscripts: 28February 2026.
- Submission link for full articles:
https://susy.mdpi.com/user/submit_manuscript/080690cc77af064d0e84cac4b8697af9/1?form%5Bjournal_id%5D=78&form%5Bspecial_issue_id%5D=228963

Submission Criteria:
- Abstract and a short biography should be sent to Sylvia Hao (sylvia.hao@mdpi.com)
- Final articles, in English only, should be at least 4000 words long; a 150-word abstract and 5 keywords should also be submitted.
- Authors can include image files (tables, maps, graphs, photographs …) in ..jpg; they should ensure that images are free of rights (or that rights have been obtained).
- Each article will be peer-reviewed by at least two anonymous referees.

For further inquiries, please contact: Sylvia Hao for Arts, Sylvia Hao (sylvia.hao@mdpi.com) and Editorial Office of Arts (arts@mdpi.com）

Posted on Tue, November 4th, 2025
Expires on Sat, February 28th, 2026

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