Understanding and Improving Research Data Management in the Visual Arts: Case Study of the KAPTUR Project

Research data is a valuable resource and, with appropriate curation and management, it has much to offer learning, teaching, research, knowledge transfer and consultancy in the visual arts. However, very little is known about the curation and management of this data: none of the specialist arts institutions have research data management policies or infrastructure in place and evidence suggests that practice is ad hoc, left to individual researchers and teams with little support or guidance. In addition the curation and management of such diverse and complex digital and physical resources is challenging.

Led by the Visual Arts Data Service, a Research Centre of the University for the Creative Arts, in collaboration with the Glasgow School of Art; Goldsmiths, University of London; and University of the Arts London, and supported by JISC, the KAPTUR project (2011-2013) sought to address this lack of awareness and explore the potential of appropriate research data management in the visual arts, by:

• Uncovering the nature of research data in the visual arts
• Investigating the current state of management of research data
• Developing a model of best practice applicable to specialist arts institutions and arts departments in multidisciplinary institutions
• Applying, testing and piloting a model for best practice with the institutional partners

This paper shares the experiences that the Glasgow School of Art encountered while being part of the KAPTUR project.