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While this might seem like a clear refutation of the positions held by Brown and
the RAND Corporation researchers, this apparent opposition results from the fact
that Knell and Taylor conflate intrinsic benefits with what one might call ‘quality’.
The example Knell and Taylor provide is that of a ‘people’s orchestra’:
… our experience of evaluation evidence suggests that these outcomes will be
more powerful if the participants have an excellent experience – lively, creative,
and artistically rewarding. But clearly the artistic outcome (the performance)
may not be excellent when judged in any traditional peer artistic review sense.
(14)
This description in fact resonates strongly with the idea of varying levels of engagement
described by McCarthy et al and Brown’s hierarchy of forms of participation.
Discussion of terminology
In reviewing the various frameworks that have been proposed in the effort to
define the unique ways in which the arts, and culture more generally, enrich our
lives, the lack of a standardised and widely accepted language to discuss these
issues is sorely felt. A first step towards remedying this may be to take stock of
how some of the most significant terms have been used in the literature and
discuss their relative merits in serving the needs of the field.
Benefits
Brown uses ‘benefits’ following the work of McCarthy et al, and the term is also
used by Knell and Taylor. Its main advantage is that it can be applied equally well
and with a consistent meaning across a wide range of situations. It can be applied
to individuals and communities, to internal (cognitive, emotional) processes and
tangible outcomes such as monetary gains. The main drawback, as noted above,
is that all benefits are by definition positive, so that findings may be suspected
of serving an advocacy related ‘evidence collection’ agenda rather than objective
research.
Impact
Brown and Selwood associate ‘impact’ with transformation and effect, respectively.
Whether the result is lasting or not, the implication is that something changes
as a result of the cultural experience. For Brown, these changes may be internal
and part of the intrinsic experience, however Holden associates the measurement
Framing the Conversation 54
UNDERSTANDING the value and impacts of cultural experiences