Citizen Science in the Arts & Humanities

Arts-based citizen science can be a powerful tool for engaging citizens not just as data contributors but as co-creators of knowledge and culture. By leveraging arts-based practices such as visual, performative, and embodied practices, Arts & Humanities Citizen Science (A&H CS) can help reach groups often marginalised by conventional research and generate new forms of insight rooted in lived experience.

This IMPETUS policy brief explores what A&H CS is and the potential benefits it brings to citizen science, providing illustrative case studies. As a nascent field within citizen science, there is still some way to go to unlock the full potential of arts-based practices for citizen science within the European research, cultural and innovation policy. Our recommendations are aimed at helping institutions use these approaches more effectively in the years to come.