Creating #havoc: A holistic approach to valuing our culture

Abstract

A central theme of the symposium on Public Engagement and Impact: Articulating Value in Art and Design was the question of how the cultural sector should most effectively respond to increased bureaucratic pressure to supply evidence of the value of culture. The chapter proposes a holistic solution, based on the findings of a research project that directly engaged with the cultural sector and its views about the idea of measuring cultural value. The project was Phase Two of an initiative funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and its end product was a report to the DCMS, A Holistic Approach to Valuing Our Culture (Donovan 2013). The chapter first provides a summary of the findings of the Phase One report (O’Brien 2010) which recommended that the cultural sector should embrace the use of a specific range of economic valuation techniques. The chapter then notes that there are some serious ideological and practical shortcomings with applying these measures: the most conspicuous being that the costs and expertise involved are beyond the means of most cultural sector organisations.