I am fortunate to work in a performing arts center with a deep commitment to education and community engagement. Throughout our season our two theaters are made available to showcase the work we do as part of GRoW @ The Wallis. The participants in our programs are made to feel that they too belong on our stages and as part of our artistic family. The visibility of these programs invites a discussion of quality. Should their public performances be viewed through the same lens with which we select artists for our main stage productions? Or should there be a different way of evaluating programs that are driven by an education-focused mission?
I was glad to come across a document that addresses these issues in a really thoughtful way — Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change. This is framework to enhance understanding and evaluation of creative work at the intersection of arts and civic engagement, community development, and justice. Aesthetic Perspectives was developed by artists and allied funders and evaluators who participated in the Evaluation Learning Lab led by Animating Democracy at Americans for the Arts, in partnership with the Nathan Cummings Foundation and the Arts x Culture x Social Justice Network. Activation of the framework supported by Hemera Foundation.
This framework identifies “key attributes” of quality programs:
- Commitment
- Communal Meaning
- Disruption
- Cultural Integrity
- Emotional Experience
- Sensory Experience
- Risk-Taking
- Openness
- Coherence
- Resourcefulness
- Stickiness
This list of attributes really resonates with me, as it adds clarity and specificity to a discussion about “quality.” Mere effort and intent should not be enough. We should set a higher bar that reflects the important work of the participants as well as the imperative to create meaningful work for the audience that sees it.