Impact Update 2, May 2005
This second newsletter reviews the content that has been added to the database since the end of January 2005. Many of the studies are recently published but we also include earlier studies that are relevant to the themes of the database. Full bibliographical details of the references highlighted below can, of course, be obtained from the database.
We encourage users and their networks to use the facility on the database to submit their own research and we will consider it for inclusion. Research should relate to the main themes of the database (a list can be found in the Advanced Search section) and should have stated aims/objectives, methodological approach and findings/conclusions.
Arts, Culture and Audience Development MORI (2004), Visitors to museums and galleries 2004, have revised their 2001 publication with an updated analysis of levels of visiting in museums and art galleries and an exploration of what makes people visit or not visit.
Arts, Culture and Education Piscitelli et al (2004), Education, enculturation and the arts: fuelling an innovation culture, poses three research questions: how do the arts fuel an innovation culture?; what contribution do the arts make to the public good?; and, how do children (9-15 years) from at-risk and disadvantaged populations become enculturated in the arts? The project focuses on the arts in Queensland, Australia. Halsey et al (2002), Made for prisoners by prisoners – a summary of NFER's evaluation of the Safe Ground Family Relationships and Parenting Programme, assessed two courses for prisoners that use drama techniques. Winner and Cooper (2000), 'Mute those claims: no evidence (yet) for a causal link between arts study and academic achievement', published in the Journal of Aesthetic Education 34 (3-4), produces the findings of a literature review designed to find evidence of a causal links between arts study and academic achievement.
Arts, Culture and Inclusion Three new references focus on the role of museums, libraries and archives in the context of their wider public policy roles. Burns Owens Partnership (2005), New directions in social policy: developing the evidence base for museums, libraries and archives in England, reviews social policy research for the UK Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Lines et al (2004), Extending the role of libraries, have produced a National Foundation for Educational Research report which examines the provision that public libraries make for the community, over and above their traditional role as lending and information services with particular focus on the changes that have taken place in the provision made by libraries as a result of the publication of recent UK strategy documents focusing on their potential role in extending social inclusion. Parker et al (2002), Neighbourhood renewal & social inclusion: the role of museums, archives and libraries, reports on research on the role of museums, archives and libraries in neighbourhood renewal and social inclusion in the UK.
Hughes et al (2005), Doing the arts justice: a review of research literature, practice and theory, seeks to develop an evidence and theory base for the role of the arts in criminal justice in order to inform practice, policy and research. McCarthy et al (2004), Gifts of the muse: reframing the debate about the benefits of the arts, aims to explore private and public benefits of involvement in the arts and to analyse their origins and how they are brought to bear for individuals and the public in relation to different forms of arts participation. This research also addresses issues in health, education and economic impact. Wright et al (2004), National Arts & Youth Demonstration Project: highlights, produced this report at the end of a three-year project that delivered and evaluated a programme of arts activities across Canada in order to discover how to successfully recruit, engage and sustain children and youth from lower-income and multicultural communities, in artistic activities; and to determine whether involvement in arts programmes demonstrates positive outcomes in relation to child and youth psychosocial functioning. The Institute for Volunteering Research (2002), Volunteers in the cultural sector, aimed to provide a demographic profile of volunteers in museums, libraries and archives in order to serve as a benchmark for future development to be carried out by Resource (now Museums, Libraries and Archives Council – UK). Wali et al (2002), The informal arts: finding cohesion, capacity and other cultural benefits in unexpected places, investigates adult participation in the informal arts in terms of crossing social barriers, skills and inclinations acquired that can assist with building community capacity, and linkages between informal and formal arts.
Arts, Culture and Regeneration García (2005), 'De-constructing the City of Culture: the long term cultural legacies of Glasgow 1990', published in Urban Studies 42(5-6) offers preliminary findings from a three-year project evaluating the success of the European City/Capital of Culture (ECoC) programme as a model for culture-led regeneration using Glasgow 1990 as a case study. Brooks and Kushner (2001), 'Cultural districts and urban development', published in International Journal of Arts Management 3(2), describes how different US cities have undertaken the development of cultural districts; seeks to create a typology; and, to identify the common characteristics of a successful cultural district.
Arts, Culture and the Economy Brand and McVittie (2004) have produced two reports for South West Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, The economic contribution of museums, libraries and archives in the South West: libraries and archives and The economic contribution of museums, libraries and archives in the South West: museums and galleries, which assess the economic impact of the sector in the South West of England and the Channel Islands. Jones et al (2004), Spillover effects of investments in cultural facilities, reports on a research project which sought to develop: a new set of measurement tools and benchmarks to assess the economic, social, and cultural impacts of investments in cultural facilities at a variety of spatial scales; a Decision Support System for the measurement and monitoring of the spin-off effects of cultural investments on various communities; and, a Set of Insights that would inform both cultural facilities and government policy makers in issues associated with planning, capacity building, and sustainability. Oakley (2004), Developing the evidence base for support of cultural and creative activities in South East England, seeks to review the evidence base for culture on behalf of South East England Cultural Consortium and South East England Development Agency. The focus of the study is on economic competition, social inclusion, urban regeneration and the environment, key areas of SEEDA's economic strategy. This publication also touches on arts, culture and inclusion and regeneration issues.
Cultural Tourism Moffat Centre for Travel & Tourism Business Development, Glasgow Caledonian University (2005), Realising the true impact of museums and galleries in Scottish tourism, assesses the contribution museums and galleries make to tourism and the cultural infrastructure of Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Museums Council.
Major Sporting Events Scott (2004), Olympics in Australia, the: museums meet mega and hallmark events. In International Journal of Arts Management 7(1): 34-44, used the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and two Australian museums as a case study in an assessment of the impact of mega and hallmark events on museums and galleries attendance.
New Research Risky business: a cross-disciplinary investigation of creative arts as intervention activity for young people at risk in urban and rural Victoria, is an Australian Research Council Linkage Project involving university departments, policy portfolios and key industry stakeholders in juvenile justice and the arts. It is a longitudinal study to identify effective diversionary programs for young people experiencing some difficulties in their lives and to analyse the potential impact of the creative arts to assist them and to reconnect them with their community. This is a unique program that will inform the development of policy and programming for marginalised young people. It will provide a detailed and close analysis of the content and process of art programs designed for young people across a range of art forms and communities.
The first of two new projects by the National Foundation for Educational Research is Image and Identity 2, an evaluation of the second and third year of a collaborative museum education initiative involving five regional museum partners and the Victorian and Albert Museum in a project that seeks to engage and inspire new audiences, particularly young people, in responding creatively to museum collections and displays of popular modern culture through the performing and visual arts.
The second is Identifying what works in stimulating creativity amongst socially excluded young people, which comprises a literature review together with research on NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) projects in order to a) identify what works in stimulating creativity in socially excluded young people and b) determine whether increased creativity has any impact on levels of social exclusion.