Patternmakers 11/12/18 Patternmakers 11/12/18

Top 5 most clicked news items for 2018

The end of the year is a great time for reflection, and being the lovers of data that we are at Patternmakers, this means evaluating at our own activity. And so, here are the top five articles that you loved most from our 2018 Culture Insight & Innovation Updates.

The end of the year is a great time for reflection, and a great opportunity to take a look at what’s unfolded this year, what’s worked well and where to improve, before bracing for the next.

Being the lovers of data that we are at Patternmakers, this means evaluating at our own activity. And so, here are the top five articles that you loved most from our 2018 Culture Insight & Innovation Updates.

5. It’s Time for the Arts to Rally Around Standardised Outcomes Americans For The Arts

The arts struggle to reach consensus on impact measurement metrics. This article is a rally cry for the US arts sector agree on metrics to leverage commercial sector beliefs via evidence.

4. Beyond the Bio: Dr Catherine Davis Patternmakers

We were pleased to announce when sociologist Dr Catherine Davis joined our team as Senior Research Analyst. Join us as we take few moments to go beyond the bio and get to know our team's newest addition.

3. New ticket buying data for Australian electorates Australia Council for the Arts

Check out this spiffy new interactive resource which combines research on arts engagement, employment and ticketing trends in each of Australia’s 150 federal electorates. Nice work from the OzCo research team.

2. Australian arts & culture statistical snapshots Department of Communications & the Arts

Prepared by the ABS, the jurisdiction profiles provide a comprehensive overview of arts and culture at the national and state and territory level. A useful reference for advocacy work.

And our most popular article for the year was…

1. The economic value of cultural + creative activity Bureau of Communications & Arts Research

This new report (and nifty video) from the BCAR features time series analysis of the contribution of cultural and creative activity Australia’s economy. Interestingly, while the value has risen, the percentage of GDP has fallen.

If you want to get our Insight Updates direct to your inbox each month, sign up below and we’ll make sure you don’t miss any important new research.

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Patternmakers 11/12/18 Patternmakers 11/12/18

2018: a great big Patternmaking year

When Tandi decided to spend a few months freelancing as a culture researcher in 2016, I had very little idea of the learning curve ahead. In this post, our MD Tandi Palmer Williams shares the rewards and challenges of our biggest, best year yet.

When I decided to spend a few months freelancing as a research consultant in 2016, I could never have predicted the rollercoaster ride that lay ahead.

Three and a half years later, research agency Patternmakers is a thriving team of five. We’ve conducted research in five Australian States and Territories, the UK and in several Asian countries, helping culture professionals use evidence to grow their audiences, secure funding and amplify their impact.

Our monthly Culture Insight & Innovation Update, which started as an informal bulletin for a small network of colleagues, is now read by hundreds of culture professionals around the world each month.

Over the same timeframe, my team has delivered four new babies into the world! Needless to say, we are learning a lot about balance, prioritisation and perspective.

As 2018 draws to a finish, I thought I'd reflect on the successes and challenges of the year.

January: leadership program

In January I completed the final residency of the Arts Leaders Program, and returned to working four days a week after my baby break in 2017. It was an honour to participate in the program from 2015-2017 and learn from some of Australia's most exciting artists and arts managers. Particularly during a time when I was faced with a lot of choices to make about my career, family and lifestyle.

If you're considering applying to the program (or taking on any career challenge) while raising a family, I wholeheartedly encourage you to go for it! Do get in touch if I can help you in any way.

Arts Leaders Program participants in Hobart, January 2018

February: touring review

In February, Patternmakers was appointed by the Victorian Government to conduct a Review of Touring and Engagement, in partnership with Professor Peter Matthews. Travelling across Victoria throughout March, we held six open forums, conducted interviews and visited cultural sites - and saw with our own eyes the importance (and further potential) of a strong touring environment. A great chance to enjoy Victoria in all its autumnal magnificence!

The complexity of touring made this project enormously challenging, but it goes without saying that the chance to contribute to its future is rewarding. Having delivered our report, we are continuing to work with Creative Victoria to refine the recommendations and operational considerations ahead of further announcements in 2019.

April: impact partnership

In April we were appointed Impact Partner to BlakDance, and will be working alongside the organisation over the next three years to 'catch' and 'keep' stories about First Nations dance. I'm grateful for the opportunity to refine our practices with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues, I know we’ll learn a lot.

I’m really excited that it’s not just a one-off project, but a three year relationship. We'll be sharing our insights with you as this work unfolds.

May: presenting at Vivid Ideas

Vivid Sydney arrived in May 2018 and we were delighted to present a sold out discussion event, Data after Dark at the 107 rooftop in Redfern. It was a spectacular evening of wine, cheese and statistics (a match made in heaven!). Based on the success of the evening we will be expanding the event into a discussion series that will be touring Australia in 2019. Please get in touch if you think this sounds like something you need in your life!

Research Manager Brooke Boyce presenting at Data after Dark: Vivid Sydney

June: toolkit testing

Since mid-2017 we have been working with Creative Victoria to develop an Audience Research Toolkit for creative arts organisations. Based on interviews and a sector survey, the toolkit will provide practical guidance and tools to support research practices in small to medium creative arts organisations.

In June 2018 we piloted the tools with a number arts and culture organisations in Victoria, and it was fascinating to see how the tools measured up in practice! The finalised resources are due for launch by Creative Victoria in early 2019.

The team visiting Moyhu, Victoria as a part of the Review of Touring and Engagement

July: restructure

In July 2018 we restructured the business as a company, and welcomed ‘Patternmakers Pty Limited’ to the world. With this change came a new constitution, new accounting software, bank accounts and new employee agreements. Embedding new systems is always challenging (am I wrong?) but I'm confident this new structure is the right move for everyone. Thanks for your support throughout the transition!

August: regional roadtrip

In winter we travelled to Horsham, Colac and Castlemaine as a part of three Full House projects to develop evidence based audience development plans for regional arts facilities. In each location, we conducted interviews and focus groups with business leaders, artists, service providers and residents - exploring what is working well, and where there are opportunities to improve.

Regional work is demanding logistically - but we are addicted to getting out of our city lives and hearing about different ideas, lifestyles and values. We're really excited to see this evidence being applied to programming, marketing and venue management in each location - and following the journey of these communities over the next 3-5 years.

September: young people and the arts

In Spring we were delighted to explore results of two projects concerning young people. Firstly, working with the Museum of Contemporary Art, we surveyed 800 people under the age of 32 about their experiences of visual arts and the MCA GENEXT program. Stay tuned for the published report in early 2019.

Secondly, working with Barking Gecko Theatre Company, we explored the impact of its Ensembles Program and discovered very promising results for this emerging program, which is active in remote parts of the country like Karrutha, WA.

Working with young people makes me feel old, but fills me with such hope for the future that I know it will be an area we continue to investigate in years to come.

November: team changes

The team continues to grow with talented new researchers joining us, like sociologist Dr Catherine Davis. In November we farewelled Research Manager Brooke Boyce, as she prepares to welcome a new baby this month. It’s always hard farewelling close colleagues, but new people breathe new life into the team as well!

I should mention that we also officially welcomed Bianca Mulet to the team, after a three-month internship with Patternmakers. As a part of her capstone subject Social Inquiry at UTS, she investigated the role of evaluation for arts and culture organisations in Australia. I’m really proud of Bianca’s journey with us, and we'll shortly be releasing her report, which (of course) received a high distinction!

THANK YOU

Thank you to all our friends, colleagues, partners and clients for a wonderfully rich and rewarding year. We'll be taking some time out to reflect and recharge - and hope you too enjoy the break.

For any questions about the above projects, or to share your own news, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us at info@thepatternmakers.com.au

About the Author

Tandi Palmer Williams
Managing Director

Patternmakers’ Founder and Managing Director Tandi Palmer Williams is an experienced consultant and arts and culture research specialist.

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Patternmakers 23/9/18 Patternmakers 23/9/18

So, you collect postcodes. Now what?

Converting postcode data into meaningful insight can be complex, due to differing boundaries of postcodes, suburbs, Local Government Areas (LGAs), regions and States/Territories. For instance, one postcode can sit across two, three or more LGAs.

Many organisations collect postcodes from attendees and participants. But turning it into useful insight is not straightforward!

Knowing how many people came from postcode ‘2150’ is not as useful as knowing how many people came from the City of Parramatta Local Government Area, or the Western Sydney region.

But converting postcode data into meaningful insight is tricky, due to differing boundaries of postcodes, suburbs, Local Government Areas (LGAs), regions and States/Territories. For instance, one postcode can sit across two, three or more LGAs.

In this post, we share how you can map your postcode data to LGAs, to access more useful insights. We also share how we can help!

Using the ABS correspondences files

This is where the fun begins! If you’re handy with excel, and have a few days up your sleeve, you can set up your own mapping process in-house.

You can map postcodes to other geographic areas using the ABS correspondences files. These are a set of spreadsheets that list the corresponding LGA for every postcode in Australia. You can also access correspondence files for other geographic categories, like Statistical Areas 1-4.

Remember that the geographic boundaries do change from time to time, so be sure to make sure you have the latest files from the ABS (just give them a call if you’re not sure).

Steps in postcode mapping

Once you’ve located the right correspondences file, follow these steps to turn your postcodes into other geographic categories:

Clean your datafile so you have a list of attendances for each postcode (and check your file for erroneous codes and empty fields)
Download the ABS correspondences file, and insert a new column to the right of each postcode & corresponding LGA.
Use a VLOOKUP formula to add the attendances for each postcode into your correspondences worksheet
Multiply the number of attendances to the % of each postcode in each LGA
In a new sheet, sum the total number of attendances for each LGA (hint: the SUMIF formula can help with this)
Lastly, you can tabulate the total attendances by region (e.g. Western Sydney, West Melbourne) and by State/Territory.

Patternmakers Postcode Analysis package

For those short on time, fear not, we are here to help!

Our Postcode Analysis package delivers meaningful audience and visitor insights by converting postcode data to the regions most important to you and visualising that data using tables, charts and ‘choropleths’ (shaded maps).

This can help you understand your reach and identify ‘blackspots’ where you could grow engagement.

We can also measure how many people travelled from outside your area to experience your work. This can help with reporting your impact in terms of cultural tourism and economic impact.

For example, in 2017, Arts West (an alliance of arts organisations in Melbourne’s West) commissioned Patternmakers to undertake a postcode analysis project. This enabled them to measure their combined reach across Melbourne’s West, and identify opportunities to work together to engage with its diverse communities.

Why postcode mapping is valuable

Packages start at $1,200, depending on how many breakdowns you need, and how frequently you want to report.

This can be a worthwhile investment for some organisations, as it provides:

Provides useful insights for internal and external reporting
Demonstrates your reach across a region of interest, for reporting and advocacy work
Helps to develop campaigns targeted to particular areas and regions
Can free up your time to concentrate on other priorities, if you outsource this work.

You can download a sample report to see how it looks.

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Want to know more?

Click here to request a price list or find out more about DIY mapping.

About the Author

Brooke Boyce
Research Manager

Brooke is experienced in delivering complex quantitative and qualitative research projects, and is our in-house expert on all things methodological.

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Patternmakers 23/9/18 Patternmakers 23/9/18

Patternmakers: who are we?

Patternmakers is a research agency dedicated to culture, creativity and community. Here’s a bit more information about who we are and what we’re about.

Who are we?

Patternmakers is a research agency and insight service for creative businesses and cultural organisations.

Our vision is for a vibrant, creative, strong data culture in the creative industries. Every day, our team wakes up ready to build the evidence you need to lead your organisations to the next level. Through independent research, nuanced evaluation and clear analysis, we create insight you can rely on for strategic planning, marketing and investment.

It's our mission to inform, inspire and excite you with the possibilities of data, and ultimately to see creativity flourish.

Our approach

We create bespoke projects to suit the research needs of our clients. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative methods, and squeezing maximum insight from existing data, we design elegant solutions for complex topics. We’re methodology-agnostic, which means that we hand-pick the most appropriate tools for the project at hand.

Our methods are designed with reference to AMSRS guidelines and we’re QPMR-accredited. We also specialise in accessible research processes.

We take privacy seriously and design our processes to respect both research managers and participants.

Workshops

We offer training on research and evaluation, and we make it fun. Our past training partners include Creative Victoria and Creative Plus Business.

We also offer workshops to help you develop research frameworks and data roadmaps.

Our team

We're trained in research, economics and finance, so you don't have to worry about choosing the right consultant. We're also writers, facilitators and designers adept at collaborating, and building your capacity while we work.

We have a small core team and a network of trusted freelance associates and collaborators. We all work from home, travelling regularly around the country, and meeting for regular co-working sprints. This approach helps us to keep our overheads down, and our rates low; while offering specialist skills to add value at key points.

We stay up to date with the changes you need to know about, and give you the lowdown without the technical talk. We attend the methodology conferences and pay the membership fees. We know what ‘best practice’ looks like and how things work in reality.

We get it. We share your passion for cultural expression, vibrant neighbourhoods and meaningful creative experiences. Most importantly, we know how to do research and analysis in an engaging way to capture creative minds and respect the creative process.

Accessibility

At Patternmakers we strive to make our work as accessible as possible. We’re always thinking about how we can make other aspects of our work more accessible.

Here we share our intent for all future projects, and how we will consider accessibility and inclusion at every stage of our work.

Giving back

We strive to engage in relevant research to inform the arts and culture sector as a whole. By collaborating with us on your latest research project, you are helping provide valuable data and insights to creative industries.

We make data fun, and we’d love you to join us.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot them through to info@thepatternmakers.com.au

About the Author

Penny Cannan
Communications Business Administrator

Penny has a background in Art and Design, Communications, Brand Identity and Project Management.

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Patternmakers 4/9/18 Patternmakers 4/9/18

The role of evaluation: a Patternmakers internship

As part of her internship with Patternmakers, Bianca Mulet is undertaking a research project into the role of evaluation in the arts and culture sector. Bianca is a UTS student studying a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a major in Social Inquiry (Social and political sciences).

This winter we have hosted our first intern, Bianca Mulet. Bianca is a talented UTS student studying a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a major in Social Inquiry (Social and political sciences). As part of her internship with us she is undertaking a research project into the role of evaluation in the arts and culture sector.

Her project involves a series of interviews with arts sector leaders, policy makers and researchers. She'll be publishing the results on this website before the end of 2018 (sign up to the newsletter below to make sure you hear about the findings).

The project

Bianca aims to investigate to what extent evaluation is impacting the arts and culture sector, and how it can strengthen the work of an arts organisation.

Her research will also provide an evaluation of Patternmakers’ work with past clients like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Australian Theatre for Young People and the Australia Council for the Arts.

Background

Data is now regarded as this century’s driving commodity, generating enormous shifts in science, business, economics, media and politics. While data and technological advancements have made us fluent in online shopping, social networking and entertainment, Bianca's interest lies in how data is reshaping the way we access, interact with and make meaning out of art and culture.

Methodology

The primary research method Bianca will employ is one-on-one interviews with arts leaders, researchers and policy makers.

Bianca is exploring the following questions in her interviews:

What is the impact of engaging in research, data analysis and evaluation?
How has Patternmakers’ process of research and evaluation aided in meeting the outcomes of creative projects?
What social, cultural or political issues have arisen from the gathering, interpreting and recording of data? How does this have the potential to inform policy making?

Background research on the topic will inform the interview questions and provide the groundwork for eventual thematic analysis. Bianca will gather secondary data from news outlets, industry publications, blogs and academic dissertations to broaden my understanding of the issue through economic, political, social and/or cultural frameworks.

Stay tuned

We're excited to be hosting Bianca and supporting her research on this important topic. We look forward to sharing the results of Bianca's research project once complete.

About the Author

Penny Cannan
Communications and Business Administrator

Penny has a background in Art and Design, Communications, Brand Identity and Project Management.

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Patternmakers 31/8/18 Patternmakers 31/8/18

Are we ready for Generation Alpha?

Lately I’ve been thinking hard about how young people engage with art, culture and creativity. As mother of a one year old, my life (and arts participation patterns) have changed dramatically in the past year. Late nights at the theatre and gigs have been replaced with mornings at the museum, reading stories and pushing a pram through community festivals.

Late nights at the theatre and gigs have been replaced with mornings at the museum, reading stories and pushing a pram through community festivals.

Leo loved the immersive sound and animation in Ryoji Ikeda’s immersive exhibition Micro | Macro at Carriageworks. He enjoyed touching (and drooling all over) the art blanket at the MCA’s Art Baby class for mums and bubs. And the whole family enjoyed a trip to Mona Foma, the summertime festival of Tasmania’s excellent Museum of Old and New Art with food, drink and music aplenty.

What will engage the next generation?

It got me thinking about the kinds of experiences that kids of his generation will have access to.

Will they be in theatres, shopping malls, schools or virtual worlds? Will he be a viewer, a player, a protagonist or a performer?

What kinds of experiences will bring him to tears, send goosebumps down his spine and help him make sense of the worlds he inhabits?

New research in the UK with almost 2,000 young people suggests that today’s young people recognise quite different definitions to previous generations.

Arts Connect, Morris Hargreaves McIntyre and We are Frilly found that young people associate 'art' with visual arts but arts also includes graffiti, fashion, animation, and tattooing/piercing - all of which were more widely defined as art than novels, poetry and opera.

Culture, they found, is a broader concept for them, which includes identity. They do relate to sector recognised forms such as festivals, historic sites, carnivals and museums, but also wider forms such as fashion and TV, learning a language and food.

The Australia Council's arts participation research indicates one of the biggest trends is the rise of creative participation, relative to receptive participation as an audience member.

More and more, young people want to express their own creativity, learn new skills and access immersive experiences, and the trajectory is not slowing down.

Are we ready?

So how are our artists, organisations and major institutions adapting to these changes?

I suspect we could be doing more.

Research is one of the best ways for us to identify trends and anticipate the changes that will be needed. But we also need to be testing new concepts and experimenting with new forms of engagement.

One great creative industries example I saw recently is PlayingField, a 'game jam' where teams of professional game developers are paired with young people aged 10 to 13 and tasked with realising their game idea.

The two-day experience has been designed to educate young people about the wide variety of roles available in the industry, whilst giving the young participants a chance to devise a game idea and see it brought to life in the hands of inspiring role models.

The impact of programs like this could be profound.

Research with young people

This year we are lucky to be working with The MCA to evaluate their GENEXT program for 12-18 year olds, working with the MCAs youth committee to design & deliver the a methodology that will trace what ideas past participants have taken into their adult lives.

We are working with Barking Gecko Theatre Company to explore the impact of their Ensembles program for 5 to 17 year olds on things like confidence, empathy and relationships.

We are also lucky to be again working with UTS, Australia’s #1 young university to explore the role of art on campus, and how it can support reflection, knowledge sharing and debate among students, researchers and the public.

I can’t wait to see what we find out about how young people want to engage with the arts now, and where things are headed next.

Maybe now I've got a vested interest!

If you have an idea about how research and evaluation can help unearth new possibilities for young people and the arts, get in touch with the team at info@thepatternmakers.com.au.

About the Author

Tandi Williams
Managing Director

Patternmakers’ Founder and Managing Director Tandi Williams is an experienced consultant and arts and culture research specialist.

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Patternmakers 24/8/18 Patternmakers 24/8/18

Beyond the Bio: Dr Catherine Davis

The Patternmakers team is expanding - meet Catherine Davis! Join us as we take few moments to go beyond the bio and get to know our team's newest addition.

The Patternmakers team is expanding - meet Dr Catherine Davis! Join us as we take few moments to go beyond the bio and get to know our team's newest addition.

What is your role at Patternmakers?

I’m Patternmakers’ Senior Research Analyst which essentially means I spend most of my time analysing data and turning the findings into meaningful insights!

What does your average day look like?

My days are wonderfully varied. I might spend several hours in the morning analysing qualitative or quantitative data for a program evaluation and then start doing the fieldwork for an audience research project in the afternoon.

What do you love about your job?

Although I’ve only been working at Patternmakers for a month, I love waking up every day knowing that the research we’re conducting can help strengthen the arts and creative industries in Australia, and providing evidence of the importance of the arts in society.

What is your favourite type of cultural experience and why?

How do I choose just one!? Well, firstly I would say the theatre. My dad is a theatre studies professor, so while most of my childhood friends would be taken to the park after school, my younger sister and I were dragged to watch the latest Shakespearean play. I remember being delighted and enthralled as I watched the characters come to life before my eyes. I also love visiting art galleries. The first time art really moved me was when I went into the Rothko room at the Tate Modern in London and became instantly tearful. As Rothko himself once said: ‘A painting is not a picture of an experience; it is an experience.’ I love how art has the power to transport us through time and space, to challenge us, and to engender change in social, political and cultural issues.

What are some of your non-work-related goals for the rest of 2018?

I’d love to start learning a new language – possibly Japanese. I also want to take up a ceramics or painting course. I’d like to read more fiction books. Recently I’ve found myself reading mostly non-fiction. For example, right now I’m reading ‘Curing Affluenza: How to Buy Less Stuff and Save the World’ by Richard Denniss. It’s such a vital book for our times but not exactly a light read before bed.

Favourite city of the most interesting place you've visited or travelled?

One of the most interesting places I’ve ever visited was the Northern Territory, in particular the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Waking up at dawn to watch the sun come up over Uluru was truly one of the most magical and spiritual experiences I’ve ever had.

What is your greatest personal achievement or something you feel truly proud of?

My greatest achievement is probably completing my PhD last year. I used a mixed methods research design to uncover the role that online communities play in the lives of new Italian migrants in Australia.

It was such a roller-coaster ride requiring diligence, unrelenting commitment and endless cups of tea! But I finished my thesis on time and along the way I learnt so much about research inquiry and about myself too.

About the Author

Penny Cannan
Business Administrator

Penny has a background in Art and Design, Communications, Brand Identity and Project Management.

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Evaluating with the next generation

In 2018, Patternmakers is working with the Museum of Contemporary Art to research the impact of their GENEXT program on young people now, and later in life.

The team have developed a bespoke methodology to empower the MCA Youth Committee to co-design the evaluation, and lead creative data collection exercises throughout the year.

In 2018, Patternmakers will be working with the Museum of Contemporary Art to research the impact of their GENEXT program on young people now, and later in life.

GENEXT is a peer-led, festival-style event, programmed by the MCA’s Youth Committee exclusively for young people aged 12–18. It’s inspired by the artists, works and ideas that shape the MCA’s exhibition program throughout the year. You can read more about the program here.

The program has been running since 2005 – and has seen over 26,948 young people through their doors (but who’s counting!) from across Greater Sydney and beyond – from as far afield as Wollongong, the Blue Mountains and Newcastle.

Because of this reach, we’re really excited to hear what impact attending GENEXT has in the short term, and over the long. Think: self-expression, confidence, empathy, cultural and social awareness, friendships. Also think: challenging conversations, visual literacy, and diverse careers inside and outside of the arts, all influenced by the program.

GENEXT is all about peer-led engagement, and so we knew we would need a bespoke methodology for the project. It would need to be owned by young people, and combine rigorous research techniques with creative processes to make it as engaging and meaningful as possible.

In April we met with MCA stakeholders to co-design the evaluation, including Young Creatives Coordinator Jo Higgins, artist educators and past and present Youth Committee members.

Co-designing the evaluation: Jo Higgins, Dylan Mighell and Jodie Whalen

Some key features of our approach from here are:

Providing opportunities for Youth Committee members to learn and take part in the research process, and a couple will be joining us in the field: collecting data and conducting interviews
Collecting data in creative ways: in addition to depth interviews, focus groups and an online survey, we are working with the team to hear from attendees through workshop activities at some of the GENEXTs this year.

On a side note: If you ever attended GENEXT in your younger days AND like filling out user-friendly, accessible surveys, let us know. We can make sure you get on the list.

Strengthening, growing and sharing the different ways arts and culture organisations engage young people is very close to our hearts – especially with two new little Patternmakers born into our team in the last year. And we’re thrilled to be working with the MCA on this project.

Keep your eyes peeled early 2019 to hear about the findings.

OTHER READING

If you can’t wait until then, but are passionate about the arts and young people, check out our report on the impact the Australian Theatre for Young People is having on the mental health and wellbeing of young people here.

About the Author

Brooke Boyce
Research Manager

Brooke is experienced in delivering complex quantitative and qualitative research projects, and is our in-house expert on all things methodological.

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Patternmakers 9/5/18 Patternmakers 9/5/18

Join our merry band

We’re on a mission to inform, inspire and empower creative thinkers with data. If this sounds like your bag, register your interest to stay in the loop with future opportunities. From full-time employees to the occasional freelance gig, we’d like to hear from you.

We are looking to build our network of Patternmakers in 2018.

If you're an analyst, project manager, writer, designer or facilitator who is excited by data & creativity, we'd love to hear from you.

Whether it's full-time employment, an internship, or the occasional freelance project, we could have opportunities right for you.

Read on for more information about how we work, or skip straight to the point and register your interest now.

More about Patternmakers

Established in 2015, and trading as Patternmakers since 2016, we are a research agency and insight service for creators.

Much of our work is made up of consulting to arts and cultural organisations. Our clients include some of the largest cultural institutions in Australia, as well as smaller artist collectives and producing companies. Our project work covers program evaluation, audience research, data analysis and evidence-based planning.

We are also building an Education and Events program, to help creators build skills in research, analysis & evaluation. This May, we will be launching a Data Discussion series with Data after Dark at Vivid Ideas. We also deliver training modules in-house for organisations like NIDA, and deliver guest lectures for subjects like Festivals Management at the University of Sydney.

The team

Our founder, Tandi Palmer Williams, is an alumni of the Australia Council's Arts Leaders Program, and is a trusted advisor of senior managers and artistic leaders across the sector.

The core team includes Research Manager Brooke Boyce, Business Administrator Penny Cannan and Operations Manager Jodie Bombardier.

We also have several Advisors, who work with us on a contract basis, including consultant Peter Matthews, researcher Bridget Jones and disability expert Morwenna Collett.

We also work with writers, editors, designers and programmers on a regular basis.

What we offer

Our core team and contractors all work from home, or a location of their choice. We meet regularly at client sites across the country, and for co-working 'sprints' in Sydney.

Flexible conditions mean the team can choose their own hours. We have a set of values that we hold dear - and we always strive to delight our clients, colleagues and partners.

We offer a competitive hourly rate, plus superannuation and all insurances.

To find out more about opportunities to work with us, please register your interest now.

For any questions, please contact info@thepatternmakers.com.au

About the Author

Tandi Williams
Managing Director

Patternmakers’ Founder and Managing Director Tandi Williams is an experienced consultant and arts and culture research specialist.

Be in the loop

Patternmakers 10/4/18 Patternmakers 10/4/18

Exploring the future of touring in Victoria

Throughout April 2018, our team will be travelling across Victoria to conduct consultations as a part of Creative Victoria's Review of Touring and Engagement.

This month, our team will be travelling across Victoria to conduct consultations as a part of Creative Victoria's Review of Touring and Engagement.

I’m delighted that Patternmakers has been commissioned to conduct the Review, with advisor Professor Peter Matthews.

Throughout April and May, we will be conducting fieldwork across Victoria, including inner and outer metropolitan Melbourne, and six regional locations. I'm looking forward to seeing how tours are helping regional communities enjoy music, theatre, dance, visual art, heritage collections, multi-arts and heritage collections that they may not otherwise have access to.

The Review presents an exciting opportunity to take a fresh look at the touring environment and identify opportunities to improve the effectiveness, inclusiveness and viability of touring across the State.

As a national research agency with our base in Sydney, I hope we will bring a fresh perspective. Our team is looking forward to building on our past projects related to regional Victorian arts & culture, including the Road Work Intrinsic Impact Study for Performing Lines, and Audience Development Planning for The Cube, Wodonga.

Those who have worked with us will know that our team has a collaborative style, combining rigorous research techniques with creative thinking to identify solutions. Some key features of our approach to this Review are:

Working collaboratively with the Creative Victoria Steering Group to co-design the Review
Combining both qualitative and quantitative research techniques to ensure future models are evidence-based
Inviting stakeholders to participate either face to face via a series of open forums, or by submitting written response to an online survey.

A major focus for this review will be exploring options for new touring and funding investment models. If you have ideas about the future of touring in Victoria, please head over to the Creative Victoria website to find out more about how you can participate in the Review.

We are also committed to hearing from people of all backgrounds, and those with access requirements. For any questions, please contact info@thepatternmakers.com.au or Sue Doyle, Manager, Regional Partnerships Arts Sector Investment via sue.doyle@ecodev.vic.gov.au.

Image: David LaChappelle, The Last Supper (Ballarat International Foto Biennale

About the Author

Tandi Williams
Managing Director

Patternmakers’ Founder and Managing Director Tandi Williams is an experienced consultant and arts and culture research specialist.

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The reality of touring contemporary performances in regional Australia

Between 2015 and 2017, Performing Lines worked with Patternmakers, Wolf Brown and presenters across Australia to explore the audience response to three touring theatre productions. Evidence collected in this study confirms the value of contemporary Australian performance for regional audiences.

There is a complex touring ecology in Australia, which works hard to bring contemporary Australian performances to regional communities. However, if ticket sales are anything to go by, these works often fail to resonate with market. Or do they? Our research is shedding new light on this important issue.

About this project

For the past three years, we've worked with Performing Lines, Wolf Brown and presenters across Australia to explore the audience response to three touring theatre productions. The productions were part of the Australia Council’s Road Work initiative, designed to enable regional audiences to engage with contemporary, original thought-provoking new Australian work.

Although regional presenters found each of the three productions challenging to market to their communities (and many reported disappointing ticket sales), people who did attend experienced a wide range of positive impacts, like captivation, emotional resonance and importantly, aesthetic growth.

The results of the final phase of the study are now available on Issuu, and the results are well worth a read, for anyone involved in regional performing arts.

The results

Three quarters (72%) of the 1,640 respondents said they were exposed to a new style of theatre they didn’t know about previously and 77% said show exceeded their expectations. Almost all of those surveyed said they are likely to attend theatre in future (89%), and those that had positive experiences are the most likely to.

The results show that what happens before and after a show could be important. Across the three tours, factors associated with above average experiences included reading a review or article about the play beforehand, discussing the show ‘intensely’ afterwards and attending a post-show Q&A. The results also suggest a strong association between captivation, overall experience and likelihood to attend in future.

Our conclusions

For us, the evidence collected in this study confirmed the value of contemporary Australian performance for regional audiences - and provides some solid leads for strengthening tours. However, we believe that if such performances are to fulfil their potential in regional Australia, more work needs to be done. Greater investment is needed to help funders, tour coordinators, producers and presenters work together to engage more members of the community and build audiences over the long-term.

What do you think is needed to help great Australian works reach their potential in regional areas? We'd love to hear your ideas.

Want more information?

Head to the full Intrinsic Impact Study to find out more about exploring the intrinsic impacts of Road Work performances on regional audiences.

Please get in touch with us via info@thepatternmakers.com.au for more information about this study, the intrinsic impact tools, or our work in regional Australia.

Image by Sarah Walker

About the Author

Tandi Williams
Managing Director

Patternmakers’ Founder and Managing Director Tandi Williams is an experienced consultant and arts and culture research specialist.

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Patternmakers 19/3/18 Patternmakers 19/3/18

Evaluation Reflections: Performing Lines' Indigenous Community Engagement Coordinator

The team recently completed a collaborative three-year project with Performing Lines, to assist them to evaluate their Indigenous Community Engagement Coordinator position.

Our Managing Director Tandi Palmer Williams sat down with Karilyn Brown and Narelle Lewis of Performing Lines, to pick their brains about the project.

The team recently completed a collaborative three-year project with Performing Lines, to assist them to evaluate their Indigenous Community Engagement Coordinator position.

For those not familiar with Performing Lines, the organisation produces new and transformative performances, and initiates creative and strategic opportunities for diverse contemporary artists whose work pushes boundaries and sparks new conversations.

They created the Indigenous Community Engagement Coordinator role to assist presenters to develop closer connections with their local Indigenous communities, build their Indigenous audiences, and broaden the reach of Indigenous theatre and dance work being presented in venues across the country.

Our Managing Director Tandi Palmer Williams sat down with Karilyn Brown and Narelle Lewis of Performing Lines, to pick their brains about the project.

What were the main drivers for Performing Lines to initiate this evaluation?

Karilyn: In 2015 Performing Lines was successful in securing Australia Council funding for an Indigenous community engagement pilot project, to be implemented in association with the Blak Lines tour of Head Full of Love. We were delighted to appoint Denise Wilson, a proud Aboriginal woman from the Kamilaroi Nation (around Walhallow, NSW) as Indigenous Community Engagement Coordinator.

We thought that articulating the benefit and value of this role and the outcomes from the project would be important for the presenters, Performing Lines and the Australia Council. To our knowledge, there was no other program like this in the performing arts in Australia at the time, and we were keen to develop a model that could be applied for future Blak Lines tours, as well as for our non-Indigenous tours in order to continue to build engagement with local Indigenous communities.

Narelle: We hoped the project may create a blueprint that other organisations may be able to follow in instigating their own community engagement programs, and saw a thorough evaluation as a way of testing this idea.

Why did you choose to work with a research agency?

Karilyn: We wanted professional expertise in the development of the framework for the project's evaluation and report, so that Denise and the team could start collating and compiling relevant information and data from the outset.

What is the main thing Performing Lines has taken away from the research?

Karilyn: Following the pilot, we were fortunate to be in a position to continue the ICEC role with Denise on a part time basis. She worked on the 2016 Blak Lines tour of Sugarland, and the 2017 tour of Saltbush, as well as taking on some Associate Producing responsibilities working with Narelle. We set aside resources to create the three evaluations as a suite of case studies for the performing arts sector in Australia.

Narelle: Denise and I presented insights from the program at the Australian Performing Arts Centres Conference in 2016, and Head Full of Love, the first tour in the study, was also awarded best regional tour of the year.

The evaluation was also featured in the Australia Council’s Building Audiences research in 2017, as a case study of interest to the wider sector.

Karilyn: It’s important to have these kinds of evaluations available in a public forum rather than tucked away in the archives as acquittals.

For any questions about this work, please contact us at info@thepatternmakers.com.au

You can read more about this project in the Indigenous Community Engagement Coordinator Evaluation report.

Image: Saltbush – photo courtesy of Performing Lines

About the Author

Penny Cannan
Business Administrator

Penny has a background in Art and Design, Communications, Brand Identity and Project Management. Her broad experience brings a fresh perspective to the team and her passion for all things creative meshes with the Patternmakers vibe.

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