Credit: More Than Minutes, Claire Stringer
Research
Our research demonstrates the positive impact on young people of working with art, artists and galleries.
We examine the journeys of young participants, but also the impact on art institutions, education and community settings, and artists.
Key findings
The Fund has been developed in response to issues with teenage loneliness, isolation, anxiety and pressure. Our emerging research is already indicating the strength of the projects in building the young people’s confidence and agency, and in significantly expanding their connections and creative horizons.
We have seen an increase in personal growth; development of social skills, creative skills, and an improvement in overall wellbeing.
Credit: John Sainsbury, courtesy Turner Contemporary
Framework
Our research focus
What are the vital ingredients within the Mildred Fund programme that can support young people in developing social, personal and creative wellbeing?
To build our collective knowledge, we also enable the funded organisations to co-develop a research focus that is relevant to their specific context.
We have three research questions shown below.
You can see our findings in relation to these questions within our Key Research Findings, our Annual Research Report, and our Case Studies.
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Credit: H.J. Walker, Kettle’s Yard
‘It is not that you start to find more in the pictures here the more you look. What you start to find is bits of yourself.’
Young participant
Annual Research Report
At the end of each year we present a research report summarising the year of research activity across all the funded galleries, exploring the processes of the programmes and their benefits and impact.
The 2023/4 report includes insights from youth programmes with schools and communities created at Tate St Ives (Cornwall), Camden Art Centre (London) and Turner Contemporary (East Kent).
It highlights the significance of building trust, attentiveness, and the multi-dimensional factors of confidence, as well as the quality of the processes involved.
The Mildred Fund Case Studies
Here we share selected case studies drawn from our funded projects.
The programme research is building summary narratives which present the value of the visual arts in specific areas of need, and the vital ingredients for supporting young people to build their personal, social and creative futures.
Camden Arts Centre
Journeys in Creative Confidence
Tate St Ives
Framing Collaboration
Methodology
Our programme research has been developed through interviews and reflection sessions with project teams and facilitators, as well as a range of enquiry research methods undertaken by individual organisations. These include observations; discussion and conversation; surveys and interviews; group reflections; learning journals; and creative responses to key questions.
Why we are prioritising programme-based research
We believe that a programme-level research approach is enabling us to learn about the work in greater depth.
Underpinned by a literature review, the programme research has drawn out learning and created new knowledge that will contribute to the growing discourse across the creative and cultural and health sectors about the value of the arts for mental health and wellbeing.
We also enable the funded organisations to co-develop a research focus that is relevant to their specific context, in order to collectively build knowledge.
Research team
The research is overseen by Anna Cutler, former Tate Director of Learning, and delivered by Research Lead, Sarah B. Davies.