The ArtBridges Resource Portal connects you to community arts toolkits and research, reflections and stories, program ideas, and more. These resources have been developed and generously shared by artists and cultural workers in Canada through the course of their work.

For artists leading community projects, there is a lot to keep track of. From facilitation to program materials, managing budgets and booking space, planning and evaluating, there are many different skills that are required to manage a project. The new GOAL series toolkit from ArtReach Toronto offers some very practical tools for artists who are managing community-engaged initiatives, and are looking for ways to evaluate them.

The online toolkit is built around the story of a group of emerging artists. Links embedded in the text lead the reader to more information about evaluation in general, how to plan for evaluation, and descriptions of different evaluation techniques and how to apply them. A key resource is the section that explains the relationship between ‘outcomes’ and ‘indicators’, which will be helpful to those who are just starting out with evaluation. There are also survey templates that groups can copy and adjust to meet their own needs. Another element that will be of special interest to artists is the section on ‘creative approaches’, which shows how found poetry, journey drawings, and appreciative inquiry can be used as part of the evaluation process.

This toolkit will be of interest to artists who are learning about evaluation for the first time, as well as those who have been involved in evaluation but may not have training in the area, or may be looking for new tools to use.

To learn more about the Evaluation 101 Toolkit, please visit the ArtBridges Resource Portal.

-Skye Louis, ArtBridges Resource Developer
Read ArtReach Toronto’s profile in our Community-Engaged Arts Directory and Map