Talking to Artists: In-depth Interviews, Cultural Objects, and a Sociology of Art (History) Methodology

Abstract

A key dilemma for researchers analyzing in-depth interviews is how to sensitively and responsibly interpret and incorporate the layers of meaning present in any one interview. References to cultural objects during interviews are moments that invite interpretive multiplicity. This article examines the presence of cultural objects within interview research as a methodological issue. Drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted with artists and designers, this article approaches references to artworks during interviews as more than just evidence of cultural capital, status, and boundary-making. Interview participants talked about art because it was meaningful to them and provided another language for expressing complicated ideas about their artistic identities and careers. To better access this aesthetic and symbolic content within the analysis of interview themes, this article sketches out a sociology of art (history) methodology that illustrates how to blend sociological and art historical interpretation.