Vibrant Ecologies of Research Wins Award from Council of Editors of Learned Journals
a2ru Ground Works has been honored by the Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ) with its 2022 “Best Special Issue” award for Vibrant Ecologies of Research. This special issue explores the ecologies where arts-based inquiry thrives in conversation with social and scientific research. Aaron D. Knochel, Associate Professor of Art Education at Penn State University, served as Guest Editor for the issue.
CELJ announced their annual awards at the 2023 Modern Language Association (MLA) conference in San Francisco. In its award citation, the CELJ award review committee called Vibrant Ecologies of Research “remarkable among a strong field of contenders.” They continued: “This special issue makes clear the importance of providing a generative space for work that does not fit in traditional disciplinary journals or galleries. The overall thematic concept and the ways in which it was presented was innovative and insightful…The committee was particularly taken with the interactive and dynamic aspects of the special issue, creative use of visual artifacts, and strong collection of individual articles and commentary.”
This is the second time in two years that Ground Works has been recognized by CELJ; it was awarded an Honorable Mention for its “Best New Journal” prize of 2021.
Guest Editor Aaron Knochel responded to the award, saying: “It is very gratifying to have this recognition from the CELJ both for the hard work of the authors and the vision of the editorial team and board that is a2ru Ground Works. We’re trying to push academic publishing into new spaces to address the complex challenges we all face. I’m proud that the collection may show some pathways to generate possibility, but of course the work goes on.”
Managing Editor Veronica Stanich adds: “The people at CELJ and the publications they represent are so smart and inspiring. I’m immensely proud to be recognized by this organization, and to be in such esteemed company. Aaron’s guiding question for this issue--about the institutional ecologies that support (or don’t) transdisciplinary, arts-centered research--is such an important one. I hope Vibrant Ecologies is on the reading list not only for people doing this type of research but for anyone interested in complex problems like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”