ON-GOING RESEARCH
Toronto Arts Foundation as part of its Creative City: Block by Block vision conducts numerous research studies towards the fulfillment of its mission to connect neighbourhoods with the transformational power of arts activity.
Progress Report
Margo Charlton, Research Manager, Toronto Arts Foundation
margo@torontoartscouncil.org ♦ 416-392-6802 x 201
May Update
Since our last update we have tested out our research tools and strategies through focus groups and interviews, and this provided us with excellent feedback about how to make the research more relevant and accessible. With our research questions honed by community members, artists and organizations we have now started the interview process. To date we have interviewed approx. 75 people across the three communities.
The three communities share similarities but are also very different. To get to know each neighbourhood the researchers are attending local meetings, gallery openings, museums, community dinners, design charettes and bazaars. The contact lists are growing as is our sense of the challenges each community faces and how arts are a part the life of the neighbourhood. In addition to attending events, we have also organized activities to connect with specific groups, for example, youth in Malvern and artists in St. James Town. This is turning out to be a great way of meeting people who are not currently connected to organizations or programs.
As we enter the next phase of the research (Phase Three: April to July) interviews are scheduled, focus groups are being organized and collaborative community events are on the books. We are now starting to review and analyze the wealth of information we’ve received from each neighbourhood so far.
~ Margo
