scholarly journals Good intentions: A case study of social inclusion and its evaluation in local public art galleries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Claire Adele Baker

<p>The new museology and need for greater accountability for public funding have prompted debate about the purpose of museums and their contributions to the wellbeing of society. Research has convincingly demonstrated that experiences of art can be positive for people, however visitor studies suggest audiences of public art galleries remain predominantly narrow in range and traditional non-users have not become regular visitors. Internationally, the issue of democratic access in public art galleries has become more important, resulting in a growing interest in greater public participation and a need to show social outcomes. When social inclusion goals were embedded in and mandated through British policy, significant progress was made; but what about the New Zealand situation?  This dissertation investigates how two public art galleries in New Zealand’s capital city advance and evaluate social inclusion. A case study of Wellington City Council and its public art galleries, City Gallery Wellington and Toi Pōneke Gallery, was used to explore the social inclusion policy and practices in relation to international developments. Interviews were conducted with eight staff of these and related institutions and an inductive method was used to analyse the data, framed by a social justice perspective.  This research found that the transformational potential of Wellington City Council’s galleries is limited by unclear policy and professionals’ relatively narrow understandings of social inclusion through museums. Results suggested the galleries rely predominantly on exhibitions about ethnic cultures as a form of audience development and it is likely that museums in other regions of the country would show similar traits. It appears that social inclusion and its measurement is not a priority of New Zealand public art galleries, echoed by the lack of integration across local and central government on this issue. This study argues that evaluation is necessary not only to justify public funds, but also to provide a measurement framework for a greater range of social inclusion practice within our valuable cultural institutions. The research contributes to museum and community studies literature by producing modest, yet original data about museum evaluation and policy, and provides insights for central and local government and the museum sector in terms of measuring the social impact of public art galleries. Overall, this dissertation reiterates the critical view of the disjuncture between museum theory, policy and practice, and ends by discussing some practical steps to bring these into closer alignment.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Claire Adele Baker

<p>The new museology and need for greater accountability for public funding have prompted debate about the purpose of museums and their contributions to the wellbeing of society. Research has convincingly demonstrated that experiences of art can be positive for people, however visitor studies suggest audiences of public art galleries remain predominantly narrow in range and traditional non-users have not become regular visitors. Internationally, the issue of democratic access in public art galleries has become more important, resulting in a growing interest in greater public participation and a need to show social outcomes. When social inclusion goals were embedded in and mandated through British policy, significant progress was made; but what about the New Zealand situation?  This dissertation investigates how two public art galleries in New Zealand’s capital city advance and evaluate social inclusion. A case study of Wellington City Council and its public art galleries, City Gallery Wellington and Toi Pōneke Gallery, was used to explore the social inclusion policy and practices in relation to international developments. Interviews were conducted with eight staff of these and related institutions and an inductive method was used to analyse the data, framed by a social justice perspective.  This research found that the transformational potential of Wellington City Council’s galleries is limited by unclear policy and professionals’ relatively narrow understandings of social inclusion through museums. Results suggested the galleries rely predominantly on exhibitions about ethnic cultures as a form of audience development and it is likely that museums in other regions of the country would show similar traits. It appears that social inclusion and its measurement is not a priority of New Zealand public art galleries, echoed by the lack of integration across local and central government on this issue. This study argues that evaluation is necessary not only to justify public funds, but also to provide a measurement framework for a greater range of social inclusion practice within our valuable cultural institutions. The research contributes to museum and community studies literature by producing modest, yet original data about museum evaluation and policy, and provides insights for central and local government and the museum sector in terms of measuring the social impact of public art galleries. Overall, this dissertation reiterates the critical view of the disjuncture between museum theory, policy and practice, and ends by discussing some practical steps to bring these into closer alignment.</p>


Author(s):  
Fabiana Espíndola Ferrer

This chapter is an ethnographic case study of the social integration trajectories of youth living in two stigmatized and poor neighborhoods in Montevideo. It explains the linkages between residential segregation and social inclusion and exclusion patterns in unequal urban neighborhoods. Most empirical neighborhood research on the effects of residential segregation in contexts of high poverty and extreme stigmatization have focused on its negative effects. However, the real mechanisms and mediations influencing the so-called neighborhood effects of residential segregation are still not well understood. Scholars have yet to isolate specific neighborhood effects and their contribution to processes of social inclusion and exclusion. Focusing on the biographical experiences of youth in marginalized neighborhoods, this ethnography demonstrates the relevance of social mediations that modulate both positive and negative residential segregation effects.


Arts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Adelaide Duarte ◽  
Ana Letícia Fialho ◽  
Marta Pérez-Ibáñez

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, and the restrictions imposed by the social distance and the enforced confinement, are having an impact on the art markets globally. The aim of this article is to evaluate the impact of an external shock in the primary art market, using three countries as a case study: Portugal, Spain, and Brazil. These geographies have in common being at the margins in the art market’s main art hubs. It is intended to analyze how agents are responding to the new context, according to the data gathered within the gallery sector. The methods applied in the research are a combination of surveys carried out by the authors, field-based observation, along with an academic literature review, complemented by international and national reports analysis. The study’s main findings allow us to characterize the art market as a very resilient sector that energetically responded to the crisis, able to adapt and overcome challenges imposed by the new pandemic situation. Contemporary art galleries expanded digital activities, kept participating in art fairs hybrid models, continued to focus on internationalization, and pointed to the strengthening of public policies towards the sector and partnerships as key strategies to overcome the crisis.


Disabilities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-131
Author(s):  
Natasha Layton ◽  
Natasha Brusco ◽  
Tammy Gardner ◽  
Libby Callaway

Background: For people living with or affected by Huntington’s Disease (HD) to experience a good quality of life, tailored support is required to meet physical, cognitive-behavioral, psychological, and social support needs. Substantial service and knowledge gaps regarding HD exist across support providers and service systems. Measuring unmet needs and what quality of life looks like is a fundamental step required to determine the social impact of service investment and provision. The objectives of this study were to validate and map a draft set of HD Social Impact Domains (HD-SID) against existing national and international outcome frameworks; and evaluate and finalize the HD-SID set using a co-design approach with people with lived experience of, and expertise in, HD. Methods: This research used a qualitative co-design process, with 39 participants across four stakeholder groups (people who were HD gene-positive, gene-negative family members, academics, peak organizations, and service providers) to: (i) map and verify the social life areas impacted by HD; (ii) undertake a rigorous three-phased, qualitative process to critically evaluate the draft HD-SID; and (iii) seek feedback on and endorsement of the HD-SID through this co-design process, with a final set of HD-SID identified. Results: Endorsed HD-SID comprised risks and safety (including housing stability, and economic sustainability) and social inclusion (including health and symptom management, physical wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, and building resilient relationships). Conclusions: Effective measurement of the impacts and outcomes for people with HD is informed by both extant measures and an understanding of the specific population needs. This qualitative co-design research demonstrates that HD-SID resonate with the HD community.


2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Tempest ◽  
Bill Wells

The ability to argue and to create alliances with peers are important social competencies for all children, including those who have speech, language and communication needs. In this study, we investigated the management of arguments and alliances by a group of 5-year-old male friends, one of whom has a persisting speech difficulty (PSD). Twelve argument episodes that arose naturally during video-recorded free play at school were analysed, using Conversation Analysis. Overall the data show that the child with PSD was just as likely as one of his friends to be included in, or excluded from, play alliances. Detailed analysis of two episodes reveals that the child with PSD competently used a range of linguistic devices in and around arguments and that his speech difficulties apparently did not impact on his ability to form alliances. This study highlights the need for those of us who work with children to take account of peer interactions and to consider the linguistic strategies that children employ when participating in peer talk and play: the social world in which inclusion and exclusion are accomplished. The study also illustrates the value of qualitative micro-interactional analysis as a research tool for investigating social inclusion and exclusion.


Author(s):  
Aaron Turpin ◽  
Micheal Shier ◽  
Kate Scowen

The following study sought to examine the social impact of a social enterprise mental health services model by assessing its impact on service accessibility and mental health stigma.  A novel approach to case study – a mixed methods design was developed by collecting data from service users, counsellors, and community members of a social enterprise in Toronto, Ontario, using qualitative interviews and the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS) survey.  Findings show how the social enterprise increases service access and challenges mental health stigma by engaging in a variety of activities, including providing low--cost counselling, diversifying services, offering a positive and safe non--clinical environment, and engaging with the public directly by utilizing a storefront model. As a result of data triangulation analysis, common themes and discrepancies between respondent groups are identified and discussed. No significant relationships were found between mental health stigma and community member demographic characteristics. Insights on replication of this social impact assessment model are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Alexander Gordon

<p>Through a specific historical case study, Another Elderly Lady to be Knocked Down applies discourse theory and the Authorised Heritage Discourse (AHD) to the context of urban built heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand. Previously, only limited work had been done in this area. By examining an underexplored event this dissertation fills two gaps in present literature: the history of the event itself and identification of the heritage discourses in the country at the time. Examination of these discourses in context also allows conclusions about the use of the AHD in similar studies to be critically examined.  In 1986 the Missions to Seamen building in Wellington, New Zealand, was threatened with demolition by its government owners. In a remarkable display of popular sentiment, individuals, organisations, the Wellington City Council (WCC) and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT) worked together to oppose this unpopular decision. This protest was a seminal event in the history of heritage in New Zealand.  This study relies upon documentary sources, especially the archival records of the Historic Places Trust and the State Services Commission, who owned the building, to provide the history of this watershed moment in New Zealand’s preservation movement. The prevalent attitudes of different groups in Wellington are examined through the letters of protest they wrote at the time. When analysed in context, these discourses reveal the ways in which heritage was articulated and constructed.  The course of this dissertation has revealed the difficulty of identifying an AHD in this context. The level of collaboration between ‘official’ and ‘unofficial’ heritage perspectives, and the extent to which they shaped each other’s language, creates considerable difficulty in distinguishing between discreet discourses. To better explore the ways that heritage meaning is constructed and articulated, heritage must be recognised as a complex dynamic process.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Karen Coulton

<p>International and New Zealand research continues to show that there is concern about boys being less successful than girls in writing at all levels of the school. This study examines to what extent year 7 and year 8 boys are motivated to advance their writing when they collaborate with a peer and choose to use a drama strategy. A qualitative approach was taken to explore the insiders‟ view of writing from eight year 7 and year 8 boys in an intermediate school in New Zealand. Data gathered were from semi-structured interviews, in class observations and samples of writing. Sociocultural theory was used to inform the investigation of the social and cultural influences on the boys‟ learning about writing. The findings illustrate that the drama intervention was successful as the boys were motivated to write through their social interaction of role- playing characters from a choice of topics represented in their everyday lives. The boys revealed their metacognitive knowledge by showing their awareness of their thought processes about writing and how to use this knowledge to develop their writing abilities. The study makes recommendations for teachers, including the need for teachers to recognise the boys‟ position of authority over their knowledge, which is essential for their motivation and learning to write successfully.</p>


Author(s):  
Vladlena Benson ◽  
Stephanie Morgan

Effective social media usage has particular challenges for HE institutions. The many opportunities afforded by social media, increasingly demanded by students, have negative potential. Social technology requires substantial investment to do well, and in particular, it can be very hard to measure its performance. In this chapter, the authors focus on how aligning with strategic objectives can reduce the risk and enhance the effectiveness of social media use throughout the student lifecycle. They also consider the risks which social media investment entails in HE. Using a case study of a UK university, the authors identify common themes for social media adoption in educational settings. They offer practical recommendations and key areas to consider before launching or enhancing a social media strategy in the field of HE.


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