Has not yet mastered headstands and other accidents in learning

ABSTRACT

Language is powerful. How we choose to describe what we do, who we engage with, and how we undertake our practice defines both the scope and scale of what we do and what we can achieve. As we look to define our vision around arts engagement in a new decade it is timely to reflect on the language we have used to date to articulate arts and cultural engagement with children, young people and their communities, and examine its continued serviceability. At such a time of change we may need to look to alternative frames such as social impact, creative placemaking and storymaking to speak more forcefully about the value of arts encounters to governments, funding bodies and ourselves.

KEYWORDS:

• Arts evaluation
• arts-health
• creativity
• culture
• arts and culture evaluation models
• impact assessment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sandra Gattenhof

Sandra Gattenhof is the Professor and Director of Research Training in the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice (CIESJ) at Queensland University of Technology. She has previously been Discipline Leader Dance, Drama, Music. Over the past ten years Sandra has led major arts impact and evaluation consultancies for Australian cultural organisations. She is Chief Investigator for Australian Research Council Linkage Project The Role of the Creative Arts in Regional Australia: a social impact model (2019-2022), Social Impact Research and Evaluation Strategy for the Puuya Foundation in Lockhart River (2021-2023), and Valuing the Arts Australia and New Zealand (2020). A life-long arts educator, Sandra is recognised as a leader in arts and creative learning and has published high profile outputs in the fields of arts and cultural evaluation, arts education, and contemporary performance. She is the co-leader Creative Placemaking for Social Impact QUT Research Group. Sandra is an observer on National Advocates for Arts Education having previously been Drama Australia’s representative for ten years. In 2012 Sandra was awarded Drama Queensland Life Membership. Sandra is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.