Evaluation of Art Research for Sustainable Development

Abstract

An exhibition of environmental artworks in 2020 created value for members of the public. The artists were responding to climate change and wider issues of human-caused changes to the planet. This study, undertaken for the researcher’s Master of Professional Practice, evaluated the emotional impact of that exhibition on visitors. Each participant sorted photographs of the artworks according to the strength of their positive/negative emotional responses to the artworks. This was followed by a semi-structured interview. This paper presents the results of analysis of the transcripts of answers by 24 participants to three of the questions asked in interview. Participants were asked to describe how they feel about the effects of human activity on our world, to identify which artwork or artworks most closely represented how they felt about that, and whether they thought or felt differently about the effects of human activity on our world after experiencing this exhibition. Their answers suggest that a values-driven approach is suitable for improving human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, and that environmental art has a valuable role to play, to maintain awareness about climate action and to encourage public support for environmental initiatives.