Individual arts-in-learning organizations and programs have conducted internal evaluations and reports for their own use, for funders, and/or for academic audiences. However, there have been few opportunities to collate findings from examinations of separate organizations and programs in order to inform the larger field and to build a body of shared information, to contribute to a “big picture” view of activity in the field. That is the purpose of this report, with its focus on the benefits, challenges, and exploration of two partnership models.
For the current study, we have defined partnership not as a one-time provider-client relationship, but, rather, as a collaborative relationship where, over an extended time period, organizations partner to design, implement, and assess joint ventures.
This research uncovered a wealth of information and insight about partnerships gained from almost two decades of work in arts-in-learning by two significant Canadian arts-inlearning organizations, ArtsSmarts and Learning Through the Arts (LTTA).