Developing an understanding of evaluation in the cultural sector

Dawn Cameron is a highly experienced evaluator who works across the arts, culture and heritage sectors. She has a Masters in Social and Public Policy from the University of Leeds, which has informed her approach to evaluation.

In the video above, Dawn shares her reflections on the challenges faced by cultural practitioners, organisations, funders and evaluators themselves. She offers some useful definitions and tips for effective evaluation, considering how evaluation is articulated to stakeholders and relates to the objectives of arts, culture and heritage sectors.

Time to reflect

• How do the points Dawn makes in this video shape your definition of evaluation and the purpose for evaluation in your organisation?

Think about this before moving onto the next step where you’ll be introduced to the supporting workbook for this course, which has been developed to help structure your evaluation planning.