NATIONAL ARTS ADMINISTRATION AND POLICY PUBLICATIONS DATABASE (NAAPPD)
Reflections on Arts and Civic Engagement Briefing Paper
GENERAL
Research Abstract
Reflections on Arts and Civic Engagement Briefing Paper
This paper reflects Animating Democracy co-directors' thinking following Working Group discussion of Chris Dwyer's "Arts and Civic Engagement: Briefing Paper for the Working Group of the Arts & Civic Engagement Impact Initiative." The discussion got to the heart of the challenges of measuring the social impact of arts-based engagement and somewhat shifted the Initiative's theory of change. This "Reflections" piece addresses concerns related to the Initiative's focus and emphasis including: intentionality in terms of social impact; intermediate effects and outcomes of arts-based civic engagement; level of change; scale of efforts evaluated; promoting evaluation as integral to effective work; shifting expectations in terms of what is realistic impact and practicable evaluation; case making goals.
This paper reflects Animating Democracy co-directors' thinking following Working Group discussion of Chris Dwyer's "Arts and Civic Engagement: Briefing Paper for the Working Group of the Arts & Civic Engagement Impact Initiative." The discussion got to the heart of the challenges of measuring the social impact of arts-based engagement and somewhat shifted the Initiative's theory of change. This "Reflections" piece addresses concerns related to the Initiative's focus and emphasis including: intentionality in terms of social impact; intermediate effects and outcomes of arts-based civic engagement; level of change; scale of efforts evaluated; promoting evaluation as integral to effective work; shifting expectations in terms of what is realistic impact and practicable evaluation; case making goals.