Answering the question "What is research?" comes at a pivotal time for art educators. The word research encapsulates the "data driven" culture present in many states and schools. As the National Art Education Association (NAEA) embraces a culture of research, it is important to understand what constitutes research, how NAEA members understand and use research, and how research can be used to further art education. In 2014, the Professional Learning through Research Group (PLR), formed a survey team to develop and implement a survey of NAEA membership related to research. This article shares the responses from the Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Divisions to one particularly salient open-ended question from the survey, "Research is…" The goal is to develop a robust culture of research within NAEA to further promote the value of art education in the lives of all individuals. The article reviews relevant literature, explains the research process, explores the meaning of the responses, and concludes how this study is relevant to the field.