Public Art: A new way to get people talking about mental health

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Measuring what and how art makes people feel, think and do – with the view to understanding how it impacts communities more broadly – is rare.

Measuring the mental health and other impacts of art is a relatively new area of work. Exhibitions and festivals often seek feedback on patron satisfaction (Did you enjoy the exhibition? How did you rate the venue?), but measuring what and how art makes people feel, think and do – with the view to understanding how it impacts communities more broadly – is rare.

A rigorous approach to measurement in this space is critically important. This is an experimental area, and organisers are looking to prove or disprove their theories of arts experiences delivering health and social impacts. Armed with this evidence base, evaluations inform the future funding and roll-out of tested models by organisers elsewhere.

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We loved working on this radically different approach to delivering positive mental health outcomes.  Measurement of this work is a real challenge, but we love a challenge!

Poppy Wise

Working closely with UNSW and Black Dog, we mapped the intended outcomes of The Big Anxiety festival, and developed ways to measure these, including a survey of festival participants. This was a dream project for us, combining our expertise in evaluating mental health programs with our personal passion for the arts. 

With The Big Anxiety leading the way, we look forward to seeing more evaluations of arts and culture festivals in the future.

Check it out for yourself! The Big Anxiety runs from 20 September to 11 November 2017 with events throughout metropolitan Sydney – check out the festival program here.