Measuring the intrinsic impact of the arts
Measuring the intrinsic impact of the arts
By
Alan Brown
SUMMARY
With plenty of anecdotal evidence of the benefits of the arts, this is a detailed account of a study exploring how it is possible to measure how people might be changed by an arts experience. Alan Brown discusses the design of the study, data collection, the results (intellectual stimulation, spiritual value) and the implications for the arts.
The inspiration for this extended study came from a comment by a researcher: ‘If you can describe something, you can measure it.’ It took a long time to work out that no matter how abstract something is, if it can be described, then questions can be drafted that would elicit responses to offer an insight into the process.
