The Undercover Evaluator: A journey of one artist from grantee to program lead, from evaluation outsider to evaluation advocate

Abstract Information: “In its own way, evaluation is a process of art.” Crystal Meneses This demonstration will center the path of an Oregon-based artist, Crystal Meneses, who moved from evaluation outsider to emerging evaluator and evaluation advocate. Part of this unique journey includes her evolution from former grantee of the Fields Artist Fellowship program to program lead. The Fields Artist Fellowship provides $150,000 over two years to individuals who address important issues in their communities and create meaningful change through creativity and cultural expression. The program was established in partnership between Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) and Oregon Humanities (OH) to bring increased access, community impact, and visibility to Oregon-based artists and culture bearers. To learn alongside fellows and inform future iterations of the program, the Research & Learning team at OCF embarked on an evaluation of the Fellowship, grounded in the Equitable Evaluation Framework™ (1) and designed to be a collaborative endeavor between the funder, arts administrator, and fellows. It was deliberately exploratory and developmental in its approach, adapting to emerging needs of both fellows and organizations, as well as process- and use-focused. Crystal Meneses (2) was selected as an inaugural fellow in 2019, and through her experience as a grant recipient and evaluation subject, shifted her expectations around what evaluation can be – from one of accountability and numbers, to methods that are relationship-based, centered in reflection, people, and stories. Crystal is neurodivergent, queer, and a woman of color – these identities, in addition to her role as an artist has meant that she has historically lacked access to or been actively excluded from conversations about what evaluation is, how it is used, or which decisions are made with the findings. She also sees ways that art can aid the evaluation process for people with similar identities, or others who have felt a sense of isolation. Today, Crystal is leading, administering, and designing the Fields Artist Fellowship program, with an even deeper appreciation for how the questions we ask shape the ways we measure and frame impact, as well as how artistic practice and evaluation are in fact, two sides of the same coin. Participants will walk away with ideas for inviting people into evaluation in creative ways and building evaluation capacity among and with diverse evaluation participants. Dialogue with an OCF Research & Learning staff member will surface the learning and evaluation approach taken within the Fields Artist Fellowship; evaluation findings; and Crystal’s reflections on what she has learned about and through evaluation; her evolution from program participant to program lead; using evaluation for program change; and perspectives on where art and evaluation intertwine. It will open with a meditative art exercise to help ground and open up different pathways in participants’ brain; transition to a conversation between OCF and Crystal; and close with an opportunity to explore aspirational evaluative practice through art making and reflection. (1) Equitable Evaluation Initiative. (2023). Equitable Evaluation Framework™ (EEF). https://www.equitableeval.org/framework (2) For more information on Crystal, visit https://www.activateartsnow.com/