Excellence and innovation

01 October 2007

Your Question

I'm just catching up on the email correspondence below and was wondering whether you might have a list of references for any general research into issues such as quality, excellence and innovation in the arts. I gather it's too late for a D'art query on the review team's specific questions, but if you could point me in the direction of any relevant international papers that would be great. I would have thought that the role of public funding in fostering artistic quality and innovation was quite a common research theme...? Or perhaps not! Anyway, if you do have a list of useful references or links that would be fantastic.

Our Answer

We have had a look around some of our research tools and resources, and have come up with some references that are inserted into your email below in the area where we think they are most relevant.

• approaches to understanding, defining and judging concepts of 'quality' and 'excellence' in the arts
• perceptions of what constitutes a 'high quality' artistic experience among arts audiences and participants
Canada Grant policies
http://www.canadacouncil.ca/grants/grant_policies/
http://www.canadacouncil.ca/grants/theatre/ho127227295916250000.htm

Artistic Quality and Interest of the Work (20 percent)
'This criterion refers to the artistic quality of production maintained by the company. Included is an assessment of the originality and innovation...' on page 4 of:
http://www.canadacouncil.ca/NR/rdonlyres/FD7178D7-472D-44B1-AAF6-D7355C8C0F3E/0/thg1e.doc

Australia Council
Has different selection criteria for different grants. Eg for dance ‘project’:
http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/grants/grants/projects__dance3
All grant selection criteria are at:
http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/grants

Participatory arts
June 2005
http://www.artscouncil.ie/Publications/Participatoryarts_final0605.pdf
An interesting section on artistic quality

Evaluation toolkit for the voluntary and community arts in Northern Ireland
http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/departs/all/report/VoluntaryCommunityArtsEvalToolkit.pdf

Review of the SIAP, Northern Ireland
http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/news/2007/images/FinalSIAP.pdf

Quality Framework
Scottish Arts Council
http://www.scottisharts.org.uk/resources/publications/Miscellaneous/Strategic%20Review%20papers/2005%20-%20Jul%20-%20Dec/SC05m5p3_QualityFramework.pdf
also
http://www.scottisharts.org.uk/1/information/publications/1004296.aspx

The Brussels Quality Framework
A framework for assessing quality of cultural websites, which makes some reference to the quality of content.
http://www2.cfwb.be/qualite-bruxelles/anmviewer2.asp?a=17&z=4&isasp=

The Empiricist Theory of Artistic Value, R. A. Sharpe
The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 58, No. 4 (Autumn, 2000), pp. 321-332
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8529(200023)58%3A4%3C321%3ATETOAV%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
RAND papers, including:

A New Framework for Building Participation in the Arts, Kevin F. McCarthy, Kimberly J. Jinnett
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/2005/MR1323.pdf

Artistic Quality in an Opera Company: Toward the Development of
S Boerner - Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 2004
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/108567333/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Cultural policy and evaluation of quality
H Kaare Nielsen, International Journal of Cultural Policy, Volume 9, Number 3, November 2003 , pp. 237-245

Performance Management for Performing Arts-A Framework for the Evaluation of Artistic Quality in in Public Professional Opera Houses
F Chiaravalloti - 8th International Conference of Arts and Cultural Management , 2005
http://www.theatremanagement.co.uk/publications.htm

Auditing Culture, E Belfiore, International Journal of Cultural Policy, Volume 10, Number 2, July 2004, pp. 183-202: Has a section devoted to quality. Plus other Belfiore papers of which I'm sure you will be aware.

Perceived Success in the Arts, D Abfalter, PJ Mirski - 8th International Conference on Arts & Cultural Management, 2005
http://neumann.hec.ca/aimac2005/PDF_Text/AbfalterD_MirskiP.pdf

Individual perceptions of success - Performance measurement from inside opera
http://www.fokus.or.at/fileadmin/fokus/user/downloads/acei_paper/Abfalter,%20Huber%20&%20Vopelius.pdf

Performance measurement and management for performing arts, including artistic quality indicators
Chiaravalloti, Francescovan D. Meer-Kooistra, Jeltje
A paper that is was presented at a recent conference, though I don't think a copy is available on line.
http://www.eiasm.org/frontoffice/event_announcement.asp?event_id=480
http://www.eiasm.org/UserFiles/File/4thConferenceNiceParralelSeptember12.doc

EVALUATION OF ARTISTIC QUALITY IN THE PERFORMING ARTS
Karen Hannah, Jørn Langsted and Charlotte Rørdam Larsen
Department of Dramaturgy and Department of Music,
Institute of Aesthetic Disciplines, University of Aarhus, Denmark
http://www.aestetik.au.dk/onskekvisten/eng/present

http://news.scotsman.com/leaders.cfm?id=965892004 The importance of excellence, The Scotsman, 20 August 2004, United Kingdom, Of what should an arts policy consist? Since 1997, the Scottish Office, the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Arts Council have spent countless hours on a bewildering variety of cultural-strategy documents in order to find out.

Wright, R. (in press). A conceptual and methodological framework for designing and evaluating
community-based after-school art programs. International Journal of Cultural Policy.
Robin Wright, McGill University
http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=1028-6632&volume=13&issue=1&spage=123

Research on Public Art : Assessing Impact and Quality (2005)
http://www.publicartonline.org.uk/resources/research/current_research.php

General Observations on Quality, Achievement, and the Natures of the Art Forms
http://www.arts-accredit.org/index.jsp?page=AQ-GeneralObservations

http://www.postpressed.com.au/academic/growart.html Discussion of key topics including:
* High art, popular culture, and the meaning of "excellence" in the arts;
* How art, culture and politics are intertwined;
* How the arts enrich our lives and build stronger communities;
* How Queensland Arts Council helped shape our cultural environment;
* The qualities of effective cultural leadership.
It also proposes eight principles to guide development of the arts, and a framework for the analysis of arts policies and programs, and their impacts.

Evaluating Art: Policies and Practices.
Authors: Becker, Samuel L.; And Others
Source: ACA Bulletin, n53 p82-97 Aug 1985
Abstract: Surveyed administrators of theatre programs to determine the importance and value of artistic work by theatre faculty to institutional goals and in tenure decisions. Found (1) great variations in the degree to which artistic quality is valued and (2) dissatisfaction with the criteria and procedures for evaluating theatre faculty. (PD)
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ322054&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&accno=EJ322054

Artistic assessment guidance
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/information-sheet/artistic-assessment/ (updated in 2010)

Information: Developing a framework for the support of participation in the arts
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/information-sheet/developing-a-framework-for-the-support-of-participation-in-the-arts/

• the structural and cultural conditions required for artists and arts organisations to continually develop and improve their practice, and the role of the state in fostering those conditions

http://www.symposium2008.ca/ - Arts and culture are increasingly recognized as integral and necessary components of our social fabric, contributing to the economy and quality of life in cities and communities. In our increasingly mobile and diverse society, investments in culture and creativity are essential to building vibrant, competitive, and sustainable communities for the twenty-first century.
One of the key factors in a community's cultural ecosystem is space. Cultural/creative spaces provide the foundation for artistic creation and presentation, they are important focal points for community milestones and events, they provide opportunities for intercultural exchange and dialogue, they protect and nurture cultural resources, they offer social supports and services, they serve as economic, social, and artistic incubators ... and they can be catalysts for community change and development.
The Creative Construct: Building for Culture and Creativity symposium will bring together participants from around the world to exchange the latest ideas and practices on the development of cultural and creative spaces; cultural planning and investment strategies for cultural infrastructure and cultural districts; and collaborative approaches to enhancing the cultural vitality, creative potential, and competitiveness of cities and communities.

www.ubs.com/1/e/ubs_ch/wealth_mgmt_ch/wmmagazine.html#_viewpoint - In this paper, Steven J. Tepper argues that arts funding needs to work with the commercial world of entertainment in continuing to nurture a wide range of arts and artists. He argues that public and private funding of the arts can be combined to make a sum greater than the parts. This new frontier of financing the arts will promote the value of localism, linking the arts to a specific community, by using public resources to promote these values. Author Steven J. Tepper is associate director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and an assistant professor of sociology, Vanderbilt University. Previously he was deputy director of the Princeton University Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies and lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the department of sociology. He has published articles in the areas of the sociology of art, cultural policy and democracy and public space and is currently completing a book on cultural conflict in 75 American cities.

http://www.artsjournal.com/muse/bettercase_entries.pdf This is the transcript of a collaborative online blog conversation about the arts hosted by the online arts news website ArtsJournal.com. We asked 11 American arts luminaries to discuss "Is there a better case to be made for the arts?" over the course of a week.

http://www.ifacca.org/whatsnew/publications/4905 The report is part of an initiative from those two agencies to develop evidence based practice in the use of culture to achieve Regional Economic Strategy Objectives.

• whether and how public funding should be used to foster innovation in the arts

http://www.tbf.org/indicators/arts-culture/indicators.asp?id=474: 2.7 Public Funding and Support for the ArtsBoston is the arts and culture capital of New England and home to world-class institutions, events and spectacles that attract people from all over. Its rich cultural and ethnic diversity offers a wide range of cultural experiences throughout the city. Its artists, musicians and performers attract young families, knowledge workers, and tourists - contributing to the economy, the tax base and, most importantly, to an environment for innovation - the life blood of the region's economy.Sustained support for arts and culture activities is critical to maintaining the region's competitive edge. It will require tracking and developing creative and aggressive strategies for funding in a tight fiscal climate, volunteer support for organizations and facilities to retain the pool of artists in the city and the region.
http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/Q434.aspx Managing Innovation in the Arts: main justification for public funding of the arts is to protect the arts from the marketplace and to encourage experimentation and innovation.

http://www.abp.unimelb.edu.au/unesco/ejournal/pdf/art-innovation.pdf: This paper explores the economic and cultural contribution of the arts and its effect on economic growth and evolution. The crucial connection is supplied by an innovation systems perspective on the creative industries. In this view, the creative industries contribute not just to value-added and jobs, but more importantly, to the evolutionary process by which economic systems grow. This paper thus offers a new view of the economics of the arts and creative industries re-conceptualised as part of the innovation system of an evolving economic order. Analytic and policy implications are then outlined in terms of an evolutionary approach to the economics of the arts.

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00002465/01/2465.pdf: What would an innovation systems approach to the creative and especially the digital content industries look like? This is important for two reasons: such an approach may open up dynamic and central policy territory which has been the preserve of science, engineering and technology (SET) worldwide; and it asks new questions, outside the domain of cultural support, which may precipitate a more holistic approach to the creative industries. This article draws on aspects of a report produced as part of the Australian Government's Creative Industries Cluster Study which outlined key elements of such a system. It focuses on the issues raised in looking at the role of key public institutions such as research agencies, educational and training bodies, including universities, government support agencies and others. We argue that these elements need to be greatly strengthened as well as challenged in terms of their orientation and their capacity to contribute to the innovation system.

http://www.cac.ca.gov/209/archive.html: Archive of news articles relating to the arts on public funding:

http://www.uregina.ca/sipp/documents/pdf/ssmr.pdf Public funding of art, and the practices involved in the administration of that funding, must reflect the public interest. It may be the case that the public interest is best served by relatively few restrictions on content. Having few restrictions serves the purpose of allowing greater innovation in art, and in preventing our rather imperfect political system from exerting influence in funding decisions in ways that would be contrary to the public interest. But accounting for the public interest requires a weighing of the benefits and costs of certain forms of expression.

http://www.bmr.org/page/submission-46 British Music Rights: Public funding of the arts should help support innovation by encouraging established arts organisations to move beyond their comfort zone to develop and deliver a more groundbreaking artistic vision for their sector.

http://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/policy/assets/features/reaching_out_from_the_creative_silo_policy_briefing

http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/publications/strategies_and_policies/creative_innovation_strategy
http://demos.co.uk/files/Publicly_Funded_Culture_and_the_Creative_Industries.pdf Demos

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