Contains Art Evaluation Report 2020

Final evaluation, January 2020
1. Introduction
This report sets out how our project has progressed through
two years, from January 2018 to December 2019. It responds
to question one of the ACE Interim Report form. We focus on
delivery of intended outputs and outcomes, key achievements,
lessons learned, and any substantial changes in our approach or
expectations that have arisen during the course of the project.
We have now completed the project. Our evaluation
commentary here therefore refers to the work of both years of
the project and updates the interim evaluation submitted at the
end of the first year of delivery.
Overall, we have had a strong, positive impact in relation to
the vast majority of the objectives and outcomes we identified
in our original application. The project has been a complex
one with multiple interrelated strands, which has brought its
difficulties. But has also enabled us to achieve a huge amount in
a very short period of time.
The aim of the project overall was to move Contains Art
forward, artistically and developmentally, as we work towards
the expansion of the gallery and its ambitions within the wider
regeneration scheme at East Quay.
In the past year, we have secured the £6 million capital cost
needed to deliver East Quay, including £389,000 from Arts
Council England's Small Capital Grants. The build started on the
9th December 2019 and we expect to be on site for 16 months
with opening of the new galleries in the early summer of 2021.
The programme that is covered by this evaluation report
comprised four strands of work:
• Artistic evolution;
• Audience reach;
• Organisational change; and
• Practitioner progression.
The remainder of this report explores the successes and
otherwise of each strand, in turn, as well as highlighting progress
towards key metrics.
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