Catching the wave of social impact

Social impact is difficult to measure but it's not impossible to measure the power of the arts to effect social change, as a new study shows.
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The power of the arts to effect social change is widely touted and instinctively understood by anyone in the arts industry. But proving this value to governments and the wider society has long been challenged.

‘Social impact is extremely important and everyone wants to talk about it – everyone wants to know what it is – but there has never been a proper measurement of it,’ said Professor Jenny Onyx.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina