Positing a schema of measurable outcomes of cultural engagement

Abstract

The cultural sector (arts, heritage and library agencies) receives increasing demands to articulate and evaluate outcomes of its work. These demands are challenging because of pervasive conceptions that the intangible nature of cultural activities makes them inherently unmeasurable, while their ‘intrinsic’ properties render them essentially valuable. This article addresses this challenge in positing a schema of measurable cultural outcomes of cultural engagement developed through literature analysis and an iterative Delphi-style stakeholder consultation. The outcomes are as follows: creativity stimulated; aesthetic enrichment experienced; knowledge, ideas or insight gained; diversity of cultural expression appreciated; and sense of belonging to cultural heritage deepened.

How Do Arts Programmes Contribute in International Development? A Systematic Review of Outcomes and Associated Processes

“…Information was extracted from the literature about outcomes and causal processes where these were discussed. Outcomes were first categorised into domains of change using Dunphy and Smithies’ (2019) schema of measurable outcomes of cultural engagement depicted in Figure 1. This schema recognizes five public policy domains (cultural, social, economic, civic-governance and environmental) and identifies desired futures in each domain that cultural activity, including the arts, has been documented as contributing to.…”

“…With respect to arts therapies, Malchiodi (2005) suggests that they work through processes of self-expression, active participation, imagination and mind–body connections. Baker et al’s systematic review (2018) offers detailed information about the processes by which creative art therapies may ameliorate post-traumatic stress disorder: reduction of hyperarousal through relaxation; non-verbal expression of memories and emotions that are difficult to put into words; a sense of control, empowerment, agency and accomplishment provided through containment of traumatic material within a creative art product; tolerance of progressive exposure and avoidance reduced through symbolic expression; self-esteem engendered; responsiveness to rewards stimulated and emotional numbness reduced through the pleasure of creation (See also Dunphy et al, 2019). The relationship between client and therapist is considered to be one of the major vehicles of these changes that is consistent across all arts therapy practices (Clarkson, 1996; Lett, 2001).…”

“…By art s we mean a form of intentional expression including creative, symbolic and aesthetic elements, occurring in three main forms: performing arts, including music, dance, comedy, circus, puppetry and drama; literary arts, including creative writing, poetry, play and script writing; and visual arts, including painting, drawing, pottery, sculpture, sewing, other crafts, video and film-making. Arts-based approaches can involve a single artform, or one or more forms together, sometimes known as multidisciplinary or inter-art forms (Dunphy and Smithies, 2019). Examples of arts-based ID activities include health promotion through theatre (Islam et al, 2001), improved understanding of community conflict through video-making (Abah, Okwori, and Alubo, 2009) and building of social cohesion through creation and performance of songs (Onyeji, 2004).…”

Creating an empirically-based model of social arts as a public health resource: Training, typology, and impact

“…One way to acquire qualitative and quantitative evidence of the impact of SA is through the evaluation of each project's self-defined outcomes, as has been done in healthcare client-generated outcome assessments ( 45 ). Quantitative impact data can also be collected using measures which, according to the literature ( 46 , 47 ) are appropriate for SA projects, such as collective self-esteem, personal resilience, and personal creative self-efficacy data. This evaluation strategy, together with qualitative data, can capture contextualized as well as more measurable elements of a project's impacts ( 48 ).…”