In the arts debate, 'quality of experience' was identified as a central outcome that both the arts community and members of the public expect from public funding of the arts. 'Enriching lives' was a research project set up to improve our evidence base in this area.
It began to explore whether and how peoples' lives are enriched and transformed through their experience of the arts. Much of this work has since been taken on by the CASE programme.
Research workshops in 2008-09
In 2008-09 the Arts Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) co-funded two research workshops exploring the experience and impact of the arts. The workshops brought together practitioners and academics across the country to share existing research and to develop and trial methods for evaluating the artistic experience. The two workshop series approached the question from different angles:
- Experiencing arts and culture. Understanding and measuring quality in physical and virtual environments, led by Dr Beatriz Garcia, University of Liverpool
- Qualitative Methods of Enquiry into the Arts Consumption Experience and its Impact, led by Elizabeth Carnegie, University of Sheffield, in partnership with Audiences Yorkshire
