Did you hear the one about the artist and the accountant?

In a world obsessed with ratings and economic impact, how do arts and culture demonstrate their inherent value to the community?  Is there a benefit beyond dollars, ticket sales and spill-over effects? How can we craft a common language of assessment that makes sense to policy-makers, the public and arts practitioners alike? 

It’s been an intractable question for decades and one that a team of researchers at Flinders University has set out to address. Partnering with cultural organisations in South Australia, it looks at evaluation methods in a world where intangible capital, quality of life, and inter-generational equity are increasingly important.   

Economic impact studies do not tell the full story of the value of culture.

They have found that, unsurprisingly, economic impact studies do not tell the full story of the value of culture.  Governments require more meaningful ways of understanding the value of cultural organisations and events, and corporations and agencies need a new framework for investing in them.

The major outcomes of this project will be assessment tools for policy-makers, cultural organisations and artists to adapt and adopt. These will provide new reporting principles and templates, and pave the way to a changed understanding of the value of arts and culture in a modern, post-industrial society. 

In addition there will be a ‘report on reporting’ checklist to allow cultural organisations to cost their reporting and ensure it is proportionate to the support being extended.

The results will be promoted through industry-based forums and publications, as well as articles, reports and best-practice guides for governments, cultural organisations and arts funding agencies.

This complex and fascinating collaboration between the arts and accountancy is typical of much of the trans-disciplinary research happening every day across the Flinders University campuses at Bedford Park, Tonsley and Victoria Square in the city.

Our innovative research includes vital areas like urban commuting and driverless electric cars, the early detection of bowel cancer, assisting healthy ageing, the development of online palliative care, and conservation and ecological protections...even the programming of spider robots to do the down and dirty work on warships at sea!

The Laboratory Adelaide project involves innovatory research done in partnership with government and corporate entities in pursuit of university-led outcomes with genuine real-world applications.

At Flinders University, we believe working in close partnerships with government and industry is the way of the future for pragmatic universities.  It ensures our research solves practical needs and our graduates are ready to make a difference in society.