This work kit is designed to help communities conduct a cultural assessment. This work kit focuses on the arts as a component of culture. It is intended to give you a clear picture of what an assessment involves and to suggest how you might conduct one on your own, with or without outside consultants. It describes one way to do an assessment, a workable adaptable process developed by the author and tested in a number of communities. To serve the broadest possible range of communities and projects, we have provided a full menu of procedures and questionnaires. In a small town, only a portion of the work kit's action steps may be required. The kit should be freely adapted to your locale. (Introduction, p. vii).

CONTENTS
Foreword.
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
Introduction: How to use this work kit.
Leading the assessment.
Key steps in the community cultural assessment process.

Chapter 1. Why cultural assessment?

Reflecting on community livability.
Results and rewards.

Chapter 2. The preliminary assessment process.

Preliminary Step 1. Providing a framework of expectations. 
                             What's to be gained? 
                             Why now? 
                             Why is it needed?

Preliminary Step 2. Identifying a catalyst and champions. 
                             Opportunities to build on. 
                             Problems or needs identified. 
                             How to identify catalysts and build public
                             support. 
                             Community contact list. 
                             From catalysts to champions. 
                             Preliminary assessment questionnaire. 
                             Sample Press Release.

Preliminary Step 3. Building an assessment team. 
                             How consultants can help. 
                             Sample letter inviting champions to join the
                             assessment team.     
                             Sample letter to town officials. 
                             Finalizing your assessment teach.

Preliminary Step 4. Project structures: formal or informal?

Preliminary Step 5. Setting a budget and timeline. 
                             The project budget. 
                             Sample timeline for the assessment process.

Chapter 3. The Assessment process. 

Assessment Step 1. Conducting the initial information sweep. 
                              Profile checklists. 
                              Population profile. 
                              Business and development profile. 
                              Arts-related business profile. 
                              Artists profile. 
                              Cultural facilities profile. 
                              Education and youth activities profile. 
                              Senior population profile. 
                              Physically-challenged population profile. 
                              Minority-ethnic population profile. 
                              Tourism/leisure activities profile.

Assessment Step 2. Creating a community profile. 
                               Sample Community Profile.

Assessment Step 3. Making Mid-point decisions. 
                               Testing perceptions. 
                               Is the Assessment working?

Assessment Step 4. Testing Perceptions and gathering opinion. 
                               Questions and questionnaires. 
                               Primer on asking questions. 
                               List of questionnaires. 
                               Community self-perception questionnaire. 
                               Cultural organization questionnaire. 
                               Artists' questionnaire. 
                               Media questionnaire. 
                               Business and industry questionnaire. 
                               Government questionnaire. 
                               Education questionnaire. 
                               Community activity questionnaire.

Assessment Step 5. Evaluating assessment data, perceptions, and
                               opinions - the first draft. 
                               Finishing the assessment: testing perceptions.

Assessment Step 6. Writing the assessment report and 
                               recommendations.

Assessment Step 7. Sharing the results. 
                               A new beginning.

Appendix:
     Resources [contact list].
     Organizations.
     Publications [bibliography].
     About the author.
     About the Arts Extension Service.

 

 

 

This work kit is designed to help communities conduct a cultural assessment. This work kit focuses on the arts as a component of culture. It is intended to give you a clear picture of what an assessment involves and to suggest how you might conduct one on your own, with or without outside consultants.