A New Framework for Evaluating Socially Engaged Art.

This project developed a framework for evaluating socially engaged art (SEA) by proposing a new lexicon for analysis and practical methodologies for implementation by diverse stakeholders. These methodologies complemented the intrinsic and instrumental value of SEA.

Since the 1990s, "measuring impact" and "evaluation" have often been used to attract resources and recognize the potential of SEA. However, traditional evaluation methods, such as those adapted from comparative political science or data analysis, often failed to capture the dynamic processes and relationships integral to SEA. They focused primarily on quantifiable objectives and outcomes rather than on how relationships and processes develop over time.

Collaborating with academia and cultural industries, this project developed new evaluation criteria and methods that better accounted for the complexities of SEA. Through rigorous primary research and analysis, it aimed to:

- Expand the languages of evaluation to capture elusive aspects of projects, such as preparatory phases, organization, and inter-institutional relationships.

- Recognize complexity, difficulty, and conflict as generative moments rather than indicators of poor effort.

- Illuminate less visible aspects of the practice, including time, ethics, and generative potential.

- Recommend methodologies for evaluation and document the framework diagrammatically to democratize evaluation.

By doing so, this project contributed to a greater understanding of SEA and presented cogent arguments informed by practical concerns. These insights are intended to influence policy-level implementation.