Arts organisations in receipt of public funding should seek to understand the impact of their work, for a variety of reasons. Contemporary outcome-based arts evaluation practice dichotomises impact as intrinsic or instrumental with the latter perspective defining what counts. However, a widely held belief in the transformative power of the arts is apparent in both arts policy and practice. It therefore follows that if evaluation is fundamentally about discerning value then arts evaluation should recognise transformation as core. I contend that visually-based research methods offer alternative ways of seeing and knowing from the methods that dominate arts evaluation practice. As a result, I consider how these methods might help to identify what is transformative within the context of a community arts project. To explore how evaluation can better reflect the transformative power of the arts, I ask three research questions. Firstly, can participants’ experience be theorised and understood as transformative arts-based learning? Secondly, to what extent can participants’ experience of a community arts project be understood through visually-based research methods? Thirdly, what are the implications for existing practices of arts evaluation? I explore these questions in relation to a single participatory arts project. The Happy Lands, funded (primarily) by Creative Scotland, brought together communities across Fife with a professional film crew to create a feature length film based on local stories of mining culture. Employing visual ethnography my research methods included image-elicited interviews with 19 participants over a 20 month period, participant observation during the making of the film, and documentary research. The theoretical contribution I make extends Morgan’s (2010) conception of the transformative potential of travel to the transformative power of the arts, which I define in terms of inspiration, interconnection and insight. I propose a conceptual framework that views the experience of ‘sameness’ (interconnection) and ‘Otherness’ (inspiration) as conducive to the possibility of voice (insight). The interaction of self, other and artwork in the context of the participatory (community) arts project leads to the creation of shared identity (identities) and a sense of belonging manifest in the symbolic status of objects and behaviour (‘spirit of place’) associated with the arts project. Visual research methods, combining subjective meaning-making and objective (representational) qualities, offer opportunities to understand and (re)present participants’ experience. I advance a methodological contribution that suggests image elicitation offers an epistemologically appropriate approach to understanding participant experiences of an inherently visual project. The identification of sense of place and spirit of place can be viewed as indicative of a transformative environment. I contend that the creation of an outcome acknowledging the transformative environment of the arts project would respond to the needs of government but also the beliefs of arts educators effectively redressing the balance of instrumental versus intrinsic worth. Moreover, the subjective and objective possibilities afforded by visually-based research methods would enable the latter to speak creatively, in language(s) reflecting their values. As a result my findings are offered as one possible version of a humanities-inspired approach to arts evaluation (Belfiore and Bennett, 2010b).

The essay aims to show the relation between academic models for performance measurement and legitimisation in non-profit performing arts companies (NPA) and the current evaluation methods used by NPAs in Sweden. The study has been conducted using content analysis with a comparative design and deductive approach. Where the annual reports for The Royal Swedish Opera and The Royal Dramatic Theatre have been compared to their mission statements and each other. These reports were also compared to three chosen academic models to see if they were used and later discussed if the theatres could have use for them. The models selected highlighted different areas for legitimisation. “Third times the charm” highlights the opinions from other professionals. “A new paradigm” highlights the artistic experience for the audience. And “The four dimensions” highlights societal impact and managerial performance. The essay claims that the two institutions evaluate their business differently in their annual reports and would benefit from learning from each other. When it comes to the academic models. They could both use “third times the charm” more since it relates well to their mission, The Opera uses this method already but would benefit from using it more. Both theatres could also account for their societal impact more, which they now only do indirectly. “A new paradigm” is used seldom as a metho for legitimisation. This could be explained by the lack of such an evaluation in the mission for the theatres, the same goes for managerial performance. The essay recommends further research about the discrepancy found in the Kulturdepartementets different goal statements. About change in these institutions after adopting a new leadership structure. Finally, research seeking comments from the NPAs about their potential use of academia. / Uppsatsen ämnar visa relationen mellan akademiska modeller för legitimering och redovisning av konstnärlig verksamhet och den praktik som används idag. Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med komparativ design med en deduktiv ansats. Där Kungliga Operan och Kungliga Dramatiska teaterns årsredovisningar dels jämförts mot sina uppdrag och mot varandra. För att sedan jämföras mot tre utvalda akademiska modeller för att se om dessa används eller om institutionerna skulle kunna ha användning av detta. Modellerna lyfter fram olika aspekter att legitimera sig på. ”Tredje generationens redovisning” lyfter professionellas åsikter som en metod att legitimera verksamheten. ”Konstnärlig upplevelse” lyfter den konstnärliga upplevelsen för publiken och ”Fyra dimensioner” lyfter samhällspåverkan (societal impact) och arbete mot inre effektivitet (managerial performance) som legitimeringsmetoder. Uppsatsen påstår att de två institutionerna redovisar sin verksamhet på olika sätt och skulle kunna dra lärdomar av varandra då deras uppdrag från Regeringen är nästintill identiska. När det kommer till de akademiska modellerna skulle Dramaten ha nytta av att använda ”tredje generationens redovisning” mer i sin redovisning för att hävda sin konstnärliga kvalitet i enlighet med uppdraget, Operan använder denna redovisning idag men skulle kunna använda det mer. Operan och Dramaten skulle kunna hävda sin koppling till samhällsnytta och det civila samhället med en ökad redovisning av samhällspåverkan. Båda institutionerna redovisar verksamhet för samhällspåverkan utan att uttrycka det tydligt. ”Konstnärlig upplevelse” används väldigt lite som legitimeringsmetod. Detta kan förklaras av att de uttryck för redovisning som denna metod hävdar inte efterfrågas i deras regleringsbrev. Detsamma gäller för en inre effektivitet. Uppsatsen rekommenderar till vidare forskning om diskrepans upptäckt mellan Kulturdepartementets olika målformuleringar. Om förändring på dessa institutioner efter ny ledningsstruktur. Samt att ta in röster från kulturlivet angående deras användning av akademiska texter.

This thesis reviews literature regarding English writing placement assessment and its impact on at-risk (under-prepared) college students.

This thesis reviews literature regarding English writing placement assessment and its impact on at-risk (under-prepared) college students.

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