regional Australia

Apr 15 2016

Theory-based evaluation – addressing an evaluation deficit

Evaluations conducted in the field of arts and cultural initiatives in Australia are often critiqued for their methodologically weakness. Concerns amongst peers and academics have included their reliance on small sample sizes, anecdotal evidence, limited hypothesis testing and little attention to the examination of internal program mechanisms with the aim of looking for causal factors […]

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Feb 17 2016

Rockhampton Retrospective – 3 years, 8 key challenges

Creative Capricorn was a three-year cultural program rolled out in Rockhampton, Queensland. Its aim was to demonstrate that when integrated into economics, social and community planning, arts and cultural projects can assist in the diversification of local economies, increase social cohesion and improve quality of life for the community. NSF was commissioned to evaluate this […]

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Sep 29 2014

4 tips for minimising intercept interview errors

If you’ve hosted an event, activity, exhibition or festival in which you’ve garnered feedback from visitors, you may be familiar with the process of intercept interviewing. This is where a team of people with clipboards approach visitors and ask for feedback during or immediately after the event to capture their immediate views and experiences. Starting […]

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Sep 19 2014

What is regional transformation and how do you measure it?

  Five small towns across Victoria are gearing up for a big events in the coming weeks. For the past 18 months, they have been on a journey of creative change. Each town received $350,000 for a significant artistic project intended to leave a lasting legacy to transform their town. Small Town Transformations is presented […]

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Jul 29 2014

Rockhampton – Australia’s beef capital is cooking with creativity

Rockhampton is at a cultural crossroads. And that’s no bull. The large Central Queensland town that has been best known as the beef capital of Australia is in its final six months of a three-year pilot program, Creative Capricorn. Funded by Federal, State and Local government, Creative Capricorn is designed to use arts and culture […]

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Jun 1 2014

6 success factors of regional arts initiatives

There is growing evidence that arts and culture play an important role in the growth, development and identity of Australia’s regions and regional towns. From disaster recovery to story telling, arts and culture in regional and remote Australia can contribute to the social, educational and economic opportunities of regional towns and can feed into state […]

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Mar 20 2014

Black Saturday arts recovery grant recipient – 5 years on

Following the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria in 2009, Arts Victoria––through Regional Arts Victoria––offered a series of quick response grants of up to $2,500 during the early recovery phase for artists to work in their communities on projects that contributed to the recovery effort. As the evaluator of this initiative, I met a number of […]

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Mar 10 2014

Creative healing in regional Queensland

Murri Girls Into Art showcases the work of a group of Central Queensland women as they journey to health and healing through their arts practice. For the past few years, the women have come together weekly to create vibrant artworks whilst telling stories and learning together, sharing their problems, fun and laughter. An exhibition at […]

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Feb 12 2014

Conference controversy: levels of community engagement

Last week I was a presenter and member of a discussion panel at the Spectres of Evaluation Conference, held at the Footscray Community Arts Centre in Melbourne. This international conference aimed to explore issues surrounding the way the arts are evaluated, including competing claims and judgements about limits, uses and value of the arts. Delegates […]

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Dec 19 2013

Top tips and thoughts from 2013 – 7 blog highlights

My weekly blogs are designed to provide tips, insights and ideas for my clients and colleagues working in the arts and cultural sectors, evaluation and market research research,  government policy planning and the human services sectors – in metropolitan and regional Australia. To round off the year, here is a summary of my most popular […]

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