How the Arts Improve Lives
Benefit Categories
Social Cohesion
Arts therapies contribute to positive clinical outcomes, such as reduction in anxiety, stress, and pain for patients.
Participatory arts activities help to maintain the health and quality of life of older adults.
Staricoff (2004) - Review of 400+ papers about the health benefits of the arts identified a number of impacts for arts therapies, including visual art and music helping to reduce anxiety and depression among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy; the association between music and reduction in anxiety and blood pressure in cardiovascular care; and reduction in use of pain medicine following surgery. A subsequent review by Bungay et al. (CVP, Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016) found that music dominated most studies, and that it had a generally positive effect on anxiety, stress and pain reduction among patients (p.101).
Petrie (2004) conducted a study in which HIV-infected patients engaged in creative writing (wrote on an emotional topic 30-min a day for 4 days). The researchers found that HIV viral loads improved both immediately and over a 6-month period, while loads remained stable for the control group (p.102).
From Gifts of the Muse - The strongest studies show a benefit to Alzheimer’s patients in delaying the onset and reducing the risk of dementia
Mental Health Foundation (2011) - Synthesis of systematic reviews and meta-analysis of the impact of participatory arts activities on older adults (with music and singing representing almost half of the studies; dance also prominent) revealed improvements in mental health and wellbeing, physical health, engagement with others, and attitudes towards aging among society at large. (p.108)
Clift et al. (2012) - Randomized control trial among older adults participating in weekly singing groups found health measures to be consistently higher among singing groups than non-singing groups (p.108). Health measures remained high even three months after singing groups ended.
Kattenstroth (2013) - Among healthy older people participating in a weekly dance class for six months, there were positive changes in cognitive, tactile, motor performance and subjective wellbeing among the dance group and no positive changes among the control group. (p.109)
Verghese (2014) - Longitudinal cohort study on lesiure activities and risk of dementia among older adults (using design that minimized confounding variables; no control group). Found that the likelihood of developing dementia later in life was much lower for those engaged in leisure activities; cognitive ones being most important, like reading, board games and playing a musical instrument; with dance also revealing comparable risk reduction. (p.109)
Sarkamo et al (2008) examined the impact of music listening on post-stroke recovery of cognitive functions and mood (60 patients randomly assigned to music, language, and control groups). "After the two-month intervention, there was greater improvement in focused attention, verbal memory and levels of depression amongst those who listened to music than amongst the other two groups." However, the study notes that effects may not necessarily be attributed to the arts intervention, but rather, an enjoyable stimulus, period (p.102). This is true of arts therapies broadly, especially those examining changes in mental health, which are more difficult to measure than physical conditions.
Economic Vitality
NEA (2013) - Review of studies on use of music for managing dementia produced mixed results, with some interventions reducing negative behaviors, others improving cognition, and many with no improvements at all (p.108).
Arts education may improve scholastic attainment (standardized tests, grades, etc).
A review from the Education Endowment Foundation (UK) concluded that "overall, the impact of arts participation on academic learning appears to be positive but low. Improved outcomes have been identified in English, mathematics and science learning" (Education Endowment Foundation, 2015).
A systematic review based on the DCMS Culture and Sport Evidence (CASE) database concluded that participation in structured arts activities improves academic attainment in secondary school-aged students by between one per cent and two per cent, on average, above that of non-participants, all other things being equal (DCMS, 2010).
"A more recent CASE overview of studies in this area did conclude that there was some evidence of an impact on attainment, but observed that mediation through wider cognitive, social and skills benefits might well be the source of this, and the actual mechanisms were not known (Taylor et al, 2013)."
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) discusses a number of high quality reviews and large studies in the US and UK which have found no or minimal effects for arts and cultural participation or education on attainment measures. While there are isolated studies that find this effect, the report notes that this could be explained by the benefits on other positive learning factors, but that in general meaningful increases in attainment have not been found.
Via Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - "The landmark REAP study found some precise academic and cognitive benefits associated with arts training, for example through classroom drama improving a variety of verbal skills, and dance improving visual-spatial skills. The meta-analytic review nonetheless concluded that, in most of the cases they looked at, it was not possible to demonstrate that academic achievement improves when students are exposed to the arts (Winner & Hetland, 2001). These findings have since
been confirmed by many other studies and meta-reviews." (p. 117)
SHINE on Manchester RCT showed no effect of participation in an after-school arts program on reading and math attainment (Educational Endowment Foundation, 2015).
High
Arts participation in early childhood promotes social and emotional development.
Student participation in structured arts activities enhances cognitive abilities and social skills that support learning, such as memory, problem-solving, and communication.
Physical and Mental Health
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - "These are strong examples of how much stronger evidence can be found for the positive effects of arts participation on the processes involved in learning, remembering and problem-solving, and the formation of transferable skills such as communication skills and social competency skills, than in the narrower area of formal attainment in standardised tests." (p. 118)
Systematic review of DCMS Culture and Sport Evidence (DCASE) database concluded that ‘participation of young people in such ‘structured arts’ activities could increase their cognitive abilities test scores by 16% and 19%, on average, above that of non-participants (all other things being equal), while the increase in transferable skills test scores was by 10% and 17%’."
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) cites Thompson's review of evaluations of the Creative Partnership program, which did find evidence of gains in cognitive areas associated with learning (p. 117).
"The landmark REAP study found some precise academic and cognitive benefits associated with arts training, for example through classroom drama improving a variety of verbal skills, and dance improving visual-spatial skills." (Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016, citing Winner and Hetland, 2001, p. 117)
(Menzer, 2015): "Despite some gaps in the research, and a few non-significant findings, there is a general trend in the literature that engagement in the arts during early childhood has benefits for children’s social development." (p. 8)
Menzer's literature review reports results from multiple studies that demonstrate that children who participate in the arts exhibit greater emotional or social development, these are just a few with experimental or quasi-experimental designs (p. 8-9):
- "Toddlers participating in a four-to-eight month, classroom-based music education program to promote school readiness were more likely to increase their level of teacher-reported social cooperation, interaction, and independence over the school year, compared with a control group who did not receive a music education program (Ritblatt, Longstreth, Hokoda, Cannon, & Weston, 2013).
- Children assigned to a dance group that met twice a week at school for eight weeks had stronger improvements from pre- to post-assessment in parent- and teacher-reported social skills, such as prosocial behaviors and cooperation. These children also showed strong reductions in internalizing (shy, anxious behavior) and externalizing (aggressive behavior) problems. Such effects were significantly stronger when compared with those for a control group (Lobo & Winsler, 2006).
- Mothers who engaged with their infants in a five-week music and movement program were more likely to increase their reported quality of attachment with their child over time, compared with mothers in control groups who either did not get an intervention or who participated in social play that did not include music (Vlismas, Malloch, & Burnham, 2013).
- Compared with a matched-control group, toddlers in an arts integration program comprised of daily music, creative movement (dance), and visual arts displayed improvements in teacher-rated positive and negative emotion regulation over the course of the school year (Brown & Sax, 2013)."
The authors of Gifts of the Muse note that the much-ballyhooed “Mozart effect” (the benefit to spatial reasoning as a result of musical training) is real, but that the magnitude is small, the impact short-lived, and its importance questionable.
Menzer (2015) - Many arts participation interventions have a social component, so the effects of the arts intervention cannot always be isolated from the social component. Additionally, more attention should be paid to the type of arts participation (active vs passive): "Infants who participated in a six-month active music group had better outcomes for emotion regulation behaviors than did infants in a six-month passive music group. 'Active' referred to focused attention and participation in singing and dancing and 'passive' referred to music playing in the background while infants engaged in doing something else entirely (Gerry et al., 2012). Notably, within this entire literature review, it was the only study that focused on active versus passive participation in the arts."
Additionally, most of the studies reviewed looked at short-term effects. The long-term effects of arts participation are not as well-researched.
Menzer (2015) observed null relations between arts participation and social skills in a few cases (p. 9):
- "For example, six-year-old children who took music lessons in voice or keyboard saw little to no improvements in social skills over one year (Schellenberg, 2004).
- Children who participated in a drama-based education program saw decreases particularly in disruptive behavior and they experienced improvements in self-regulatory behaviors, compared with children who did not participate in the drama-based education program. However, there were no significant changes in pro-social behavior over the school year (Nicolopoulou et al., 2009).
- As previously mentioned, children who participated in a music-based education program were reported by teachers to improve in their social skills over the school year; however, parents did not report similar improvements (Ritblatt et al., 2013)"
Education and Personal Development
Arts and cultural activities may spur increased spending and employment in the economy.
Arts and cultural activities may contribute to drawing a skilled workforce, thereby drawing investment to an area or region.
Small-scale arts and cultural assets may enhance economic and social wellbeing within urban neighborhoods where they are located.
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) cite several studies where culture ranks high to middle as a factor for location among business owners and skilled workers... however, this is self reported data, so is not necessarily a reliable predictor of actual decisions of business owners.
"Research on the location decisions of high-tech businesses in the UK and US underlines the importance of the quality of the residential environment, and social and cultural amenities,when companies of all sizes were asked about what they sought. It came 7th out of 29 factors that influenced the initial decision to locate in a place, after costs of space, business facilities, existing employees, good transport and the existence of an available local workforce. It was particularly important amongst start-ups, and remained an important reason for established businesses to stay in their current location, again especially so for smaller businesses (Baxter et al, 2005).A survey of half a million individuals in Germany found that highly-educated, full-time employed people who had moved in the previous ten years ranked cultural offerings and an interesting cultural scene among the top five reasons (out of 15) for their location choice (cited in Falck et al, 2011; for Britain also Jones, 2014; Roger Tym & Partners, 2011)." (p. 94)
Cultural Satelite Accounts in specific countries (US, UK) demonstrate this at a basic level, and it is also somewhat self-evident. (Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016)
Dozens of economic impact studies show a relationship between arts activities and organizations and jobs/spending, though the methodology of these have been repeatedly criticized (e.g., Markusen & Gadwa, 2010).
Sheppard et al. (2006) makes a convincing mixed-methods case that the development of MASS MoCA caused overall job and spending growth in North Adams, MA in the years following its opening. However, it is unclear whether any comparable investment would have had the same effect.
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - "There is evidence that smaller-scale cultural assets have a more positive effect on neighbourhoods and communities: that small commercial, community and participatory arts, including for example design studios and small music venues, have more sustainable positive results, and may constitute a more balanced and organic path to regeneration." (p. 87) They cite the work the Stern and Siefert and Carl Grodach from the United States. Stern & Seifert's work in particular (2008) establishes a strong correlational case for small-scale cultural assets contributing to neighborhood revitalization in Philadelphia around the turn of the millennium.
Stern & Seifert (2013), reviewing new data in Philadelphia, conclude that the link between small-scale arts and cultural assets and social wellbeing is no longer as clear as it once was, although the link to economic wellbeing is still strong.
A review of 36 studies by the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth (2014) found that the effects of cultural facilities on local employment are limited at best. This review included both cultural and sports facilities, and was weighted toward the latter.
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) describes an "impact assessment carried out for Festivals Edinburgh by BOP ... [whose] economic calculations followed Green Book principles and assiduously sought to measure only the additional expenditure. Taking displacement and deadweight into account meant that only 3 per cent of expenditure by local residents was deemed additional, in contrast to 85 per cent for visitors from elsewhere in Scotland and 79 per cent for those from outside Scotland." (p. 89)
Via Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - "There are, therefore, perceptions that a vibrant arts and cultural environment helps attract a highly skilled workforce, but there is only limited research into the attractiveness argument, which remains a proposition in need of testing." (p. 94)
This is the central thesis of Florida's (2002) work on the creative class. Florida's empirical work, however, largely avoids measurement of the causal relationship between arts & cultural activities -> skilled workforce -> employer location decisions -> economic growth, and instead measures associations. Many follow-up studies have failed to establish more than a circumstantial case for this theory, although Marlet and van Woerkins (2005) showed a longitudinal relationship between density of live performances and population growth over 10 years.
Low-income students probably benefit disproportionately from access to arts education.
Arts and cultural participation probably improves subjective wellbeing (self-reported happiness or life satisfaction).
Community arts activities probably contribute to healthy living habits and improved understanding of health.
Everitt & Hamilton (2003) evaluation of Wickenton Lanterns Project, a community arts project drawing attention to coronary heart disease, revealed that arts activities contributed to healthy personal development, including healthy eating and mothering, more positive mental health, and increased absorption of health information (p.105). However, in the absence of longitudinal studies, difficult to know if habits are sustained in the longer term.
Ings et al. (2012) - Systematic evaluation of Be Creative, Be well program (100 small participatory arts projects in disadvantaged areas in London) found that 55% of participants reported an increase in healthy eating, 76% of participants reported an increase in physical activity, and 85% reported feeling more positive, based on quantitative and qualitative methods, and a randomized trial (p.105).
Matarasso (1997) found case study and self reported evidence that participation in participatory arts projects (specifically) make people feel better.
Grossi et al. (2010 & 2012) - "cultural access was the second most important determinant of psychological subjective wellbeing after multiple morbidities, outperforming factors such as occupation, age, income and education" (p.107).
CVP report suggests there is clear evidence of an association between arts and culture participation and self-reported subjective wellbeing (taking into consideration social, economic and lifestyle factors). This is evidenced by the 2011 Scottish Household Survey, which found higher reports of life satisfaction and good health among cultural participants than non-participants; and the UK's Understanding Society survey of 40,000 households, which "found a significant, positive association between most arts and cultural activities and life satisfaction" (Fujiwara, 2014).
Tepper (2014) found a correlation between participation in certain arts disciplines (playing music and crafts) and subjective wellbeing.
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - "There is some evidence that these effects are particularly positive for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds." (p. 116)
"The National Endowment for the Arts, while careful not to overstate the claims for the benefits of arts in education, highlighted strong connections with respect to confidence, student behaviour and pro-social attitudes, especially among socially disadvantaged young people (National Endowment for the Arts, 2011)."
Via Gifts of the Muse: Catterall (1998, 1999) demonstrated that not only did the cognitive benefits hold true within and between socioeconomic groups, but that the benefits increased as students in lower socioeconomic groups gained more arts exposure. Heath (1999) found similar effects on lower socioeconomic groups participating in community-based arts programs.
The positive effects reported in Greene et al.'s (2013) RCT of field trips to Crystal Bridges disproportionately accrued to students from schools with high proportions of rural, minority, and low-income students.
How strong is the quality of the evidence?
Hacking et al. (2008) - Large scale study of participatory arts projects and health outcomes found "modest but statistically significant improvements in empowerment, social inclusion and mental health needs" (p.105). However, difficult to evidence "subtle and often subjective changes in mental health, collecting data and implementing meaningful and comparable measures..."
Clift et al. (2008) - Open-ended questions supplementing WHO's Quality of Life Project among 1,124 choral singers revealed those with high scores on singing scale but low psychological wellbeing found choral singing helpful for coping with mental, physical and personal problems (p.107).
From Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - "One strand of the work with young people from low socio-economic status backgrounds asked whether the arts strengthened abilities to focus attention, with benefits for learning. Pre-school children in four groups of special Head Start classes comprised the study: there were those who received various types of music training, those who received training in how to focus their attention, those who received regular Head Start instruction in smaller size classes, and a fourth group who received normal Head Start instruction in regular-size classes. Each of the first three groups showed strong and significant improvement in cognitive test scores (non-verbal IQ, numeracy and spatial recognition), and it was assumed that the ability to focus attention was the underlying factor, with the first group having the additional pleasure of the music training that produced that result (Dana Consortium, 2008; also Clawson & Coolbaugh, 2001)." (p. 116)
An exploratory analysis of the 2012 General Social Survey conducted by Createquity did not find an association between attending an arts exhibit or performance in the past year and ratings of life satisfaction.
Medium
Sustained arts engagement may reduce mortality risk in adults.
Cultural engagement may help to improve understanding of and empathy towards others.
Bygren et al. (2009) - Cinema, theater, art gallery and live music events, and museum attendance associated with lower rates of cancer-related mortality, among a random sample of Swedish adults. "Rare, and to a slightly lesser degree moderate, attenders were significantly more likely to die of cancer than frequent attenders" (adjusted for age, sex, income, education, chronic conditions, smoking, leisure-time physical activity) (p.106).
Kidd and Castano (2013) found that literary fiction helps to improve Theory of Mind (capacity to comprehend that others have mental states - beliefs, responses, emotions - that may not be identical to one's own) compared to nonfiction, pop fiction, or nothing at all. This is attributed to the need to infer characters' thoughts and experiences, rather than through explicit narrative. Researchers suggest this may be why literature programs to promote empathy or life skills exist among doctors and prisoners, respectively (p.50).
Zeilig et al.'s critical review of cultural value for people with dementia found that reflective narratives help nursing staff think about patients more holistically, and that use of fiction in health care education helps health professionals develop imaginative empathy, and understanding towards the lived experiences of people with dementia (p.52). Additional literature cited in the CVP report provided supportive evidence, such as: use of plays to help clinical students become more imaginative and reflective about issues pertaining to end-of-life care, and reflective writing to help physicians develop the emotional resonance and self-awareness needed to enhance empathy towards patients (p.53). Other studies also demonstrate how artistic activities help to humanize patients, and allows carers to place themselves in patients' shoes.
Greene et al.'s (2013) randomized controlled trial of field trips to Crystal Bridges reported increased measures of tolerance among program participants.
Konlaan et al. (2000) - Higher mortality risk among people who rarely attended arts exhibitions, museums, concerts or the movies, compared to those who attend most often. No benefit for theatergoers, churchgoers, reading or making music.
Hyppa et al. (2005) - Leisure participation of Finnish adults in cultural activities and voluntary associations predicts survival in middle-aged men but not women (p.106).
Gordon-Nesbitt (from Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016) analysis of body of work about the relationship between arts and cultural engagement and long-term health outcomes in the UK points to complexity in studies: "the way gender and class surface, how cultural attendance may be simply one dimension of a healthy lifestyle, the varying range of activities defined as cultural, whether receptive and creative engagement are distinguished, and attempts to separate the cultural from the social..." (p. 106).
Clarke at al. suggest "that the synchronicity of music induces more co-operative and empathetic behaviour on the part of those who have shared the experiences" (p.50). Using quasi-experimental design, researchers tested whether listening to music from a particular culture influences perceptions of that cultural group generally. They found that those with "pre-existing higher dispositional empathy scores" showed unconscious preference. However, the study didn't speak to the duration of those effects.
Pajaczkowska's CVP study (Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016) on people living with dementia in care homes, and staff, who participated in collaborative creative workshops, found that they experienced improvements in their relationships. However, some staff also felt threatened by the depth of the experiences, leading to discomfort with the changing perception of residents less so as patients (p.52).
With regards to the Clarke et al. study, there is also clear evidence that music can be divisive and reinforce cultural differences rooted in conflict (p.51).
How do the arts improve lives?
This interactive graph shows the state of the evidence demonstrating the various ways in which the arts improve lives. As you explore, keep the following in mind:
- Each "dot" represents a benefit of participating in the arts
- Benefits are color-coded according to the categories listed in the above legend (e.g., Physical and Mental Health)
- Placement from left to right (x-axis) indicates whether or not the bulk of the evidence suggests the benefit is real
- Placement from bottom to top (y-axis) indicates the quality of the available evidence
When you zoom in to a dot, you'll see a description of the benefit in question, as well as a list of research in supporting (plus sign) or opposing (minus sign) the benefit claim. Mixed evidence is shown with a question mark.
Start the tour by clicking on the right-facing arrow below. If you wish to investigate a specific topic further, click on a dot to zoom in for a deeper dive into the evidence at any point along or after the tour. To zoom out and move to another benefit, simply click outside the dot area. To return the full graphic, click on the "home" icon which appears when you move the cursor to the right.
This is a living document that will be reviewed and adjusted as new evidence comes to our attention.
Participation in the arts may promote pro-social or civic behaviors like voting, volunteering, or attending community meetings.
Participation in the arts may increase individuals' capacity to work together with others to solve problems.
Arts and cultural interventions could be effective advocacy tools for raising awareness of issues or changing public attitudes.
From Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - Body of studies (primarily) from US finding associations between arts participation and pro-social behaviors, though direction of causality is unclear.
From Arts Council England (2014) - There is growing evidence that children and young people’s engagement with the arts and culture has a knock-on impact on their wider social and civic participation. CASE 2010b and Cultural Learning Alliance (2011) cited American research evidencing that high-school students who engage in the arts at school are twice as likely to volunteer than those that don’t engage in the arts and are 20 percent more likely to vote as young adults.
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) note there is growing interest in the arts as a method to encourage broader thinking about climate change, and discuss two in-depth case studies that provide some evidence for this (p. 65-55).
Via Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - Putnam (1994) found a connection between responsiveness to regional needs in Italian governments and choral groups and theorized that the arts improve social capital. ..."Subsequent studies have represented core issues in different guises: mutual trust and co-operation within communities for the benefit of all' (Kay, 2000; Kay & Watt, 2000), community cohesion and 'enhanced, collectively felt sentiments of solidarity" (Lowe, 2000), and the ability of cultural infrastructure to "anchor local identities" and engender "a sense of belonging to a community (Holden, 2006)." All studies found some evidence of these concepts, but they are fuzzy and varied in their definitions. (p. 59-60)
CVP project looking at evaluations of Creative Partnership Program (a large scale government program in England where creative practitioners work with schools) concluded "that the programme contributed to empowerment, understanding of one’s own identity, the ability to collaborate and the development of skills and personal attributes," as well as facilitating "taking action, having an awareness and understanding of global issues, understanding one’s own beliefs and accepting and using broad democratic social norms." (Thomson CVP Report Creative Partnerships, p.15).
Matarasso (1997) found case study and self-reported evidence that participatory arts (specifically) are a popular way to become involved in community activities and build participants' organizational skills and capacity, and that arts activities contribute to social cohesion by bringing people together, providing neutral spaces for friendships, and encouraging partnership and cooperation.
Wali (2001)'s ethnographic study of informal arts in Chicago found that one benefit of the activities was their encouragement of collaborative work habits.
Stern and Siefert (2014) did not find a correlation between arts assets and self reported social cohesion measures by neighborhood in Philadelphia.
Cultural participation may contribute to capacity for innovation within the workforce.
Cultural engagement may help encourage healing after traumatic societal events.
Cultural engagement may be a particularly effective mechanism for minority groups to find a collective voice and identify, as well as recognition.
Investment in high-profile arts and cultural activities in urban areas and vibrant cultural districts may lead to urban regeneration in the form of increased economic and social wellbeing for urban residents.
The presence of arts and cultural activities and creative industries in a region may contribute to increased productivity and innovation in other industries in that region.
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) discusses the prevalence of arts -based projects towards this end (at least in Europe) and cite several case studies that demonstrate the arts as helping citizens process traumatic events, as well as imagining ways beyond sources of the conflict, and memorializing such events (focus in Northern Ireland and the UK) .
When the EU Innovation Scoreboard for 2008,which provides a comparative assessment of the innovation performance of EU Member States, and Eurobarometer’s Active Cultural Participation table for 2007 are juxtaposed, the two tables have strikingly similar rank orderings for the EU15 (Sacco, 2013).
Niemi analyzed participants in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and compared with their history of arts engagement as children. Found a strong association between engagemement with arts participation, especially visual arts, with later innovation and entrepreneurship, which holds true even when controlling for personality traits associated with innovation. (Niemi, 2014)
A correlation between presence of cultural facilities or districts and growth in real estate values has been demonstrated by Noonan (2013) and Sheppard et al (2006). However, the relationship between this effect and economic wellbeing for residents is not explored.
Multiple case studies engaging with this idea are presented in the Cultural Value Project (Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016), and it is listed in the summary findings of the Cultural Value Project final report.
Wali (2001) cited "the ability to imagine and implement social change" as a benefit of her ethnographic study on the informal arts.
The positive effects reported in Greene et al.'s (2013) RCT of field trips to Crystal Bridges disproportionately accrued to students from schools with high proportions of rural, minority, and low-income students.
From Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - "In this we encounter two often contradictory roles for culture: the first recognises culture’s power to reinforce existing discourses about a conflict, while the second opens up spaces for imagining alternative ways forward, and different ways of working with memory in a post-conflict world." (p. 66)
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - "Culture-led regeneration often displaces population through gentrification, as property prices and rents rise and as the artists’ and designers’ studios and workshops, initially the launch pad for the new ecology in once run-down parts of the inner city, make way for uses of urban space as part of the ‘experience economy’, more about consumption than production." However, the literature on gentrification and displacement is highly contested, with some academics arguing the effect is overblown (E.g., Stern & Seifert 2008, p. 85).
Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - There are other instances where culture is not a positive force in armed conflict, and "often play[s] a part in its initiation and subsequently perpetuating as well as healing antagonisms." (p. 70)
A few of the case studies in Cultural Value Project (Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016) deal with cultural engagement as a method of reclaiming the ability to self-define in reaction to negative or one dimensional portrayals of minority groups in the media or dominant culture, demonstrating how different strains of culture can simultaneously have positive or negative effects on recognition and collective identify for minority groups
Correlation established primarily via European studies. Bakhshi et al. have, through an econometric analysis of data for English cities, demonstrated an important complementarity between non-profit arts and cultural clusters and the creative and digital industries, indicating that non-profit activities may be more important to the wider economy than as simply a driver of tourism (Bakhshi et al., 2013a). "Bakhshi found that industries with stronger links to creative industries, as measured by expenditure on creative industry's products, had considerably stronger innovation performance" (Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016, p. 95), though it is unclear if this is due to the influence of the products or knowledge transfers.
Hervas-Oliver et al. used Eurostat data from 250 regions in 24 European countries to test an agglomeration model, and concluded that each 1 per cent increase in the share of the creative industries in regional employment correlated with an increase of 0.6 percent in GDP per capita. At the heart of the process was the relationship between the creative industries and wider knowledge-intensive industries.
There is less strong evidence that the link discussed above is causal.. but there is some initial evidence.
From Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) - "An empirical study of 2000 creative enterprises in Austria theorized three ways in which the creative industries might affect an economy’s overall innovation performance," and found confirmation of each in existing data sets. First, as a major source of innovative ideas contributing to an economy’s innovation potential, including through new products and services. Second, by offering services which might be inputs to innovative activities in other enterprises, within the creative industries and beyond. Third, by creative enterprises, as users of new technologies, providing an innovative impulse for technology producers. (Müller et al., 2008)." (p. 93)
There are also some case studies cited in Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) about ways that large cultural institutions (i.e., the BBC or the Tate Modern) influence innovation within the cultural sector itself, showing that this effect may not be limited to other industries.
Low
"A preliminary attempt to test" the descriptive findings of the Bakhshi study, "using creative credit vouchers in a randomised controlled study, found higher levels of innovation after six months which did not appear to be sustained after 12 months, suggesting the need for further case study work in this area (Bakhshi et al, 2013b)." (Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016, p. 95)
Methodological note: We use the following definitions for placement on the graph. For the x-axis, the answer to the question "Does the evidence indicate that the benefit exists" is "Yes" if the majority of the available evidence supports the claim, "No" if the majority of the available evidence opposes the claim, and "Mixed" if neither of the above conditions is true. The strength of the evidence base for a claim is deemed "High" if there are multiple studies with causal designs (experimental or quasi-experimental) available, "Medium" if there is a single study with a causal design or multiple studies that otherwise make a compelling case for causal interpretation, and "Low" if neither of the above conditions is met. In cases where the supporting, mixed, and opposing evidence is of differing strength, the stronger evidence is given more weight in determining whether the evidence supports the claim.
Art and design may help to improve the quality of health care settings, and thus, patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes.
Cultural engagement may improve understanding of oneself and capacity for self-reflection.
Arts Council England (2006) - "A rigorous evaluation [of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the first to integrate visual arts in its design] found clinical benefits, such as reduced anxiety and depression among chemotherapy patients, alongside self-reported mood enhancement on the part of patients, staff and visitors." (p.103)
Daykin and Byrne (2006) found in their systematic review that design impacts staff stress, fatigue and effectiveness, and that "quality of environment affected clinical outcomes, health-care quality and patient satisfaction" (p.104). This is attributed to patients' sense of empowerment, self-determination and design engagement, which contrasts the lack of control they generally experience in healthcare environments.
Manchester, Petts (via Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016) - CVP project exploring cultural value among teenagers conducted focus groups and found that youth across demographic characteristics (age, gender, class) see arts and cultural activities as means of reflecting on their lives and identities. Especially listening to and making music, and watching films (p.43).
Hancock (1993) - Young people that engage with literature go through a "process of identification and evaluation" (reflecting on characters motives and feelings and comparing to their own), which helps shape understanding of themselves (p.43).
Lambert - Ethnography-based CVP project in which teenagers undergoing cancer treatment engaged in creative activities, allowing them to reflect on issues they face as patients, and present more complex stories about their lives/experiences. Also affected their caregivers (p.43).
Reinelt - CVP project noting a difference between affective and cognitive responses to cultural engagement, researchers found that the value theatergoers attribute to a performance changes over time, reflecting on sensory elements immediately after, followed by thoughts about themes and ideas in the play, in relationship to other aspects of their lives and times (p.44).
Winters - Ethnography-based CVP project on older adults in a dance group found that "the affective experience of dancing has a formative and re-configurative impact on the participants' self-identity." Many participants distinguished between an authentic self that emerges through dance, versus a self that is performed in daily life (p.45).
Davis - CVP project among health and care groups found that literature read in groups facilitates a non-linear, back-and-forth mode of learning that generate different kinds of understanding, both within texts and personal experiences (p.46).
Two CVP workshops exploring collaborations between artists and scientists found that art often provokes reflection and develops creative spaces that challenge conventional ways of thinking in scientific disciplines (for instance, scientists may become less risk-averse or more speculative when working with artists). However, there is less knowledge about the actual processes that facilitate these new ways of thinking (Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016, p.45).
For offenders, there are a number of factors that contribute to one's likelihood to re-offend after being released from prison. While arts activities benefit participants individually, there is no clear relationship between personal change and instrumental benefits, like greater impact on re-offending rates. Other issues among such studies include small sample sizes, selection bias, and inability to capture longer-term effects once offenders have left prison (Crossick & Kaszynska, 2016, p.49).
No
Mixed
Yes
Does the evidence indicate that the benefit exists?
Designed by Benzamin Yi (2016)