The latest evaluation of our work reveals that we are helping cultural organisations embrace digital technologies and extending the access to arts and culture to millions of people.
At The Space, we commission digital content from a wide range of artists, cultural and heritage organisations for online, broadcast and cinema distribution and support cultural organisations to develop online audiences, building digital skills and capacity for the future.
The most research undertaken by MTM and Hybrid Consulting indicates that (since 2014) we have:
• Commissioned over 140 projects from a wide range of organisations
• Achieved over 27 million views across online and broadcast platforms since June 2014
Working with the arts sector to build digital skills
Researchers found that as a result of working with The Space organisations had increased appetite for their work. 68% organisations experienced increased interest/demand from audiences for their work as a result of their commission and many had benefitted greatly from a collaboration within the tech industry.
Commissioned organisations were able to build lasting working relationships with digital professionals introduced to them by The Space, with over a third of organisations still working with partners developed through their commission.
Many of the organisations consulted were now trailing a range of digital content, expanding social media coverage, hosting live streams and also considering adjusting existing roles to incorporate specialist digital knowledge.
In many cases, much larger audience numbers had been achieved through a number of successful distribution partners, relationships that had been facilitated by The Space and 65%, were ‘a lot more likely’ to consider undertaking similar projects in the future, being pleased at the outcome of their Space project
Content produced by Space commissions was well received by audiences, with 70% of those surveyed finding it to be ‘high quality’ and ‘innovative’. Many saying that it had sparked an appetite and that they would seek out similar content online.
All organisations reported gaining new skills as a result of their commission and had made organisational changes as a result of their commission, including strategic or cultural shifts and 70% were now looking to incorporate specialist digital knowledge into staff roles.
Training and development services delivered by The Space were praised for content and format 95% of workshop attendees scoring reported being ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied.
The evaluation found that staff at The Space facilitated a two-way learning process that organisations found constructive and insightful. The Space itself, its staff, their support, concern for and interest in the commissions was highly valued. This was seen to manifest in their being consistently available to organisations, recommending and introducing contacts and offering high quality advice.
The specialist support provided by The Space and their team of Associates was also highly commended, with the research finding that they bought experience and strong pedagogy in their interactions with commissioned organisations, bedding skills and knowledge for future use.
Organisations consistently identified two main areas of subsequent support they would like to receive from The Space:
• Continuing access to both general and specific advice, including on strategic next steps, plus introductions and brokering across sectors
• Access to future funding.
Methodology
Hybrid Research and MTM consulted with a range of arts organisations and artists commissioned by The Space and conducted an audit and analysis of audience reach data provided by commissioned organisations and/or content platforms. The responses demonstrate the overwhelmingly positive effect The Space has had on many arts and cultural organisations across the country.
