Arts Health Antigonish 2018 Research Report

Research Proposals Submitted

Two research proposals were submitted in 2018 and both were unsuccessful:

  1. Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF) Knowledge Sharing Award
  2. NSHRF Catalyst Fund

These awards were highly competitive. The work completed on the submissions was however useful in formulating subsequent submissions to other funders.

Research Paper

The following paper was published in a special edition of the Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education (CJSAE) devoted to arts and community development.

Fox, A., Currie, V. and Brennan, E. 2018. Exploring the impact of community-based arts programs on determinants of health using secondary evaluation data. CJSAE 30:57-68.

This paper was developed from the 2017 report completed by Vanessa Currie that compiled and summarized evaluation data from 14 AHA! programs. It presents evidence that AHA! arts programs have had a positive effect on health and community development. This is significant for a number of reasons:

  1. It reinforces the vital role that artists play in our community.
  2. It demonstrates a significant track record for AHA! which is valuable when applying for program funding. It shows that our programs make a difference to participants.
  3. It demonstrates a track record when applying for research funding in that we can show that we know how to collect and compile data on a topic that is difficult to evaluate.
  4. It allows us to reflect on what we have learned through our efforts so that we can continue to improve and enhance our programs.
  5. It helps us identify what we do not know and would like to understand better.

This paper will be cited in subsequent funding applications and its findings used to inform program development, and subsequent research projects.

Respectfully submitted,
Ann Fox