A Reflection on the Artists and Academics Exhibition

On 26 November 2016, the Artists and Academics Exhibition was held at Fargo Village in Coventry. The Exhibition was a collaborative project between seventeen PhD researchers from the University of Warwick and seventeen local artists, in which each artist created a piece inspired by a research idea. The Exhibition fostered active conversation between artists, academics and the general public, thereby encouraging all participants to talk about academic works in an informal setting and to explore new ideas and perspectives. Collaborative projects like the Exhibition thus benefit all who participate, and wider participation should be encouraged. Negative perceptions of public engagement may be changed through such an active participation.