Data + Art, a magical pair

It might seem like a weird pair, right? But Data and Art can be a magical duo, helping to draw out rich stories and reflections and foster deeper connection.

If you’ve been to one of my trainings, or even a meeting I’ve facilitated, you were probably subjected to an artsy activity.  It took a long time for me to feel confident bringing art into my professional work. It's not standard fair for evaluators, and they definitely didn't cover it in grad school. But, over the years, I’ve integrated it more and more and seen amazing benefits.

A favorite of mine is to have folks draw a picture of the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word “data” or “evaluation.” Sometimes, people worry about their drawing skills (“are stick figures okay?”) or get stuck staring at a blank page.

Eventually though, the creative juices start flowing, and the conversations we have as people share their drawings are incredibly valuable. I get great information about the wide variety of knowledge and experiences in the room (psst, that’s data!), which I use to tailor the content I’ve prepared. The participants get to know each other, which fosters a richer learning environment. And it’s fun! Trust me, much laughter ensues.

Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s Marissa Sykes from Angels Gate Cultural Center who spoke at a recent Data Drop-in about the ways they blend art, learning, and evaluation:

Consider taking advantage of this beautiful pair the next time you need to collect data. If you’d like to learn more, check out the full recording and materials from our Data Drop-in where we talked about using art to measure impact.