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Understanding the difference culture makes

We are building a shared understanding of the differences that arts, culture, heritage and screen make to people’s lives and to society. We want cultural policy and practice to be based on rigorous research and evaluation of what works and what needs to change.

Aesop Arts & Health conference, Southbank Centre. Photo: Helen Murray
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Working together

We invite you to join a movement to help us better understand the role that culture plays in our lives. You might be thinking about how you can better evaluate the impact of your work, or how you can use research insights and critical reflection in your practice. Keep in touch to hear about resources, events and opportunities to shape our research and get involved.

A group of people talking in a circle at Rising Arts Agency's 'This Is The Work' event, surrounded by shelves of books at Bristol's Bookhaus bookshop.
Rising Arts Agency - This Is The Work (Photo by Olu Osinoiki)

This Is The Work: reflecting on new research findings about power in partnerships

News
How does power imbalance manifest in creative partnerships - and how do we remove it from our work? We reflect on the findings of a collaborative research partnership between Rising Arts Agency and researcher Andreana Drencheva at Kings College London.
Pam Johnson is dressed in black and sitting on a table against a white background. To the site is a plant in a terracotta pot.
 

Talking cultural policymaking with Pam Johnson, Leeds City Council

News
In this Q&A, Pam Johnson, Head of Culture Programmes at Leeds City Council, shares more about how the decision-making process works and discusses the value of collaboration between policymakers, academics and cultural practitioners.
Three people sat at a table with laptops and notebooks, laughing together
 

Centre for Cultural Value launches free-to-access, online evaluation training

News
Are you keen to develop evaluation skills and confidence? Find out about our new online course - Evaluation for Arts, Culture and Heritage: Principles and Practice.
Performer in yellow top and denim shorts at an outdoor performance at night. They are reaching out, passing something to an audience member.
Derby Festé 2023

Research Digest: Lifelong Cultural Engagement

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How may the value and impact of engaging with culture evolve across someone's lifetime? Are our cultural tastes set in childhood? Or is there scope for our behaviours to change? If so, what can affect these shifts?  These questions are worth exploring for many reasons. For instance, cultural organisations might ...
A performance group called "Without Walls" performs “Belly of the Whale”. They are stood on top of a seesaw-like sculpture in front of Wakefield Cathedral at Wakefield Council’s Seaside in the City.
Wakefield Council (Photo by Andy Hardwick))

My essential reads: Artists’ livelihoods

essential-read
What do we know about artists' social and economic status? And why should this matter to the cultural sector and our wider society?  In the Centre's research digest exploring the role of the artist in society, we highlight how artists are in a rare position to illuminate and reframe the ...
A back view of a woman recording in a music studio. She is holding her microphones while standing in front of a microphone and a studio control room.
Cottonbro Studio

How to … share research and evaluation findings through performance

guide-toolkit
It is common for findings from research and evaluation to be shared in reports and articles. But what other creative methods could we use? And how can we reach new audiences? In this guide, Dr Martin Glynn showcases his innovative approach to "data storytelling", drawing on his experiences as a ...

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