Meaningful measurement A review of the literature about measuring artistic vibrancy

Meaningful measurement. A review of the literature about measuring artistic vibrancy 

Meaningful Measurement is a summary of the key research in the area of measuring artistic vibrancy.

It looks at:

• performance measurement in the arts
• proposed models of performance measurement in the arts
• the notion of “public value” and the arts
• the intrinsic impacts of the arts
• assessing artistic vibrancy, including models and examples

This resource was published for the Australia Council for the Arts in december 2009. 

Meaningful measurement A review of the literature about measuring artistic vibrancy


Recommended resources

Feb 21, 2019
By Capacity Interactive
Feb 21, 2019

This new study by Capacity Interactive will give you a multi-purpose snapshot of digital marketing practices in the arts and cultural industry in 2017. For their sixth iteration of the Benchmark Study, Capacity Interactive revamped tehir approach to focus on the most critical metrics and key performance indicators that shed light on the state of digital marketing practices in the arts and cultural field. The study, published in November 2018, creates a multi-purpose snapshot of digital marketing practices that will help organizations understand where they stand amongst their peers and that can be used as a tool to evaluate priorities and resource allocations.


By The National Endowment for the Arts
Sep 03, 2019

Summary of a Joint Research Symposium titled “Measuring Cultural Engagement amid Confounding Variables: A Reality Check,” held at the Gallup headquarters in Washington, DC, June 2–3, 2014.

Governments and cultural institutions often measure public engagement in the arts, though it is a costly endeavor whose purpose is not always clear. Innovative artistic media and changes in audience demographics and behavior patterns present new methodological challenges. Rising costs of household surveys, the availability of big data, and fresh doubts about traditional assumptions add to the need to develop new approaches.

To explore these topics, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Cultural Value Project (CVP) of the United Kingdom’s Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) convened a symposium of leading researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from a handful of countries. The event aimed to challenge assumptions about how and why public involvement in arts and culture is measured and to identify research needs and opportunities to promote more meaningful measurement.


Dec 13, 2018
By Slover Linett
Dec 13, 2018

This report of findings and recommendations is part of a bigger study delivered to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago by Slover Linnet's researchers in November 2014. We want to share it here because it's interesting to see the way they studied the museum's visitors behavior to have an understanding of the impact of new technologies to engage with people. The study payed special attention to the different ways people engaged with the institution using new technologies offered by the museum. This report encapsulates the key findings of that research.


Join us