The plural of anecdote is not data
You may have seen this meme recently, doing the social media circuit. Its origin is questionable, but seems to be credited to Frank Kotsonis, an American pharmacologist, although I don’t know from when. In my work as an evaluation and research consultant, I deal with anecdotes and data. When I saw this meme recently my […]
Read moreThe challenges of branding and marketing the arts
I recently spoke with Opera Australia’s Sales and Marketing Director, Georgia Rivers (pictured), about the challenges surrounding arts branding and marketing. Here is what she had to say. Natalie: What is branding and why is it important for performing arts organisations? Georgia: In the case of Opera Australia, the “brands” of the various operas – […]
Read moreBlack 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 […]
Read moreCreative 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 […]
Read moreHold still, this won’t hurt a bit
2 key points to allay the fears of evaluation respondents. Evaluations are conducted to collect, analyse and use information to answer questions about initiatives, projects, policies and program. Typically, they are used to enable funding bodies to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of their programs. Evaluations outcomes drive organisational learning and lessons from the […]
Read moreConference 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 […]
Read moreCan you measure the value of culture?
Culture is one of society’s intangibles concepts. Intangibles are aspects of society that cannot be seen, touched or heard. They are not solid objects like products, audiences or exhibition objects. Rather, they are things such as ideas, risks, wellbeing, values, effectiveness, quality, image and legacy. Is it really possible or ethical to assign a value […]
Read more10 tips to improve online survey response rates
Response rates are an important consideration for surveys. The response rate is the percentage of people who respond to your survey. If you contact 100 people and 40 respond, your response rate is 40%. A survey that collects very little data may not contain substantial information to make it worthwhile reporting on your findings. In […]
Read moreIs theatre of only the young absurd?
With major summer festivals in full swing throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, discussions abound in the arts sector about how to attract new audiences. Many of these conversations come back to an assumption that new audiences should be young. Fergus Linehan was the CEO and Artistic Director of the Sydney Festival in 2007. In […]
Read more6 methods for evaluating value for money
At this beginning of a new year it is possible you are wondering whether your programs and initiatives are providing a good return on investment, or how your budget may be better spent. In the not-for-profit and government sectors throughout Australia, value for money and how to assess it has become important. Determining whether programs […]
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