Be-ing, Do-ing, and Be-coming: Two Sister-Colleagues’ Musings on Art-Full Inquiry

Two qualitative research methodologists explore how artful inquiry works on us. Our ongoing conversations since we became colleagues on the same campus and department brought us to the realization that the cut and paste of collaging and the bringing together of the sacred and profane in our two dissertations suggest the way love/joy/pain makes, cuts, and layers. We move through glimpses from our research and teaching journeys that show how it beckons our senses and requires us to enter inquiry vulnerably—individually and collectively. Using poetry, memory work, collage, photographs of Trinidad Carnival mas’ art, and interview data, we draw on soulful stirrings to describe how we enter this heartful, art-full inquiry as mentor and mentee. Indeed, we were layering, adding depth, adding richness—the stuff our souls are made of and need as inquirers who are held responsible for speaking truth to power.