Goals
The success in reaching goals will be measured in the following ways:

Goal 1: To heighten an awareness and appreciation of the Walker Art Center as a contemporary, multidisciplinary art museum and as a vital contributor to the community.

1. In spring 1999 the Walker conducted a telephone survey to establish baseline awareness of the Walker with 200 residents within a two-mile radius (200 residents represent a .16% sample of the 126,000 people in this area). The survey will be repeated at midpoint in the grant period and at its completion.

2. At the conclusion of the four-year grant period we will expect to see a 10% increase from the population within this two-mile radius in attendance to museum galleries (from 72,690 to 79,960), to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (from 32,760 to 36,000), and to ticketed Walker artistic and educational programs (from 41,600 to 45,790).

3. At the conclusion of the grant we will expect to see a 10% increase from the population within the two-mile radius in membership at the Walker Art Center (from 2,140 to 2,355).

4. At the conclusion of the grant we will expect to see a 10% increase from the population within the two-mile radius in Walker volunteers (from 60 to 66), a group comprised of Tour Guides and Bridge Club members (a volunteer fundraising auxiliary).

Goal 2: To actively engage audiences in the artist's creative process and to illuminate ways that contemporary art encourages us to explore the issues that shape our everyday lives.

1. In April 1999, Marnie Burke of Museum Management Consultants (San Francisco) conducted on-site qualitative research (focus groups) with participants in the artist residencies and related programs. Site visits will be repeated at midpoint in the grant and at its conclusion.

2. Throughout the grant period we will conduct audience surveys at all grant-funded events to gather demographic data and solicit feedback.

3. A survey and on-line "comment book" will be part of the computer station in the Artist Residency Space, which opens to the public on September 5, 1999. The survey is also located on this Website.

Goal 3: To enhance the Walker's capacity to produce multidisciplinary programs by further developing collaborative, cross-departmental planning processes and by incorporating community partners into program planning.

1. In April 1999, evaluator Marnie Burke conducted individual interviews with staff at the Walker, members of the Community Neighborhood Advisory Committee, and the neighborhood partnering organizations involved in programming for Artists and Communities at the Crossroads. Site visits will be repeated at midpoint in the grant and at its conclusion.

Quantitative Research
The telephone surveys will be conducted by professional telemarketers who are contracted by the Walker. The museum will furnish Museum Management Consultants (MMC) with all of the quantitative data we collect: phone surveys; event surveys; gallery, Garden and event attendance figures; membership levels; and volunteer levels. In their reports, MMC will analyze this data in addition to the qualitative data collected in the site interviews and focus groups.

Qualitative Research
As a complement to the quantitative research, the qualitative research will be used:

• to gain deeper insights into the changes over time in awareness, usage, and perception of the Walker by the target audience;
  
  
• to study the ways in which artistic processes are interpreted for and connected to the lives of the target audiences; and,
  
  
• to assess the extent to which community forums and educational activities act as catalysts for dialogues in the community and interactions between and among neighborhood residents.

Some of the questions that may be a part of this study are:

• Is the target audience becoming more aware of the Walker? In what ways?
  
  
• What impact does the interaction between the target audience and the Walker have on the targeted neighborhood audience and on the institution over time?
  
  
• Does the target audience's usage of the Walker and its resources change and/or increase over time (includes on-site and off-site activities)?
  
  
• Is constituent participation at the neighborhood organizations with which the Walker partners impacted over time by Walker involvement with these organizations?
  
  
• Does the number of stakeholders (volunteers and members) from the target community increase over time?
  
  
• Do target audiences' perceptions of contemporary art change over time? How?
  
  
• Does the level of multidisciplinary planning and programming presented by staff change overtime? How?
  
  
• Do artists develop new and innovative ways of working with museum staff and community members?
  
  
• Is the artistic/creative process made more visible/accessible to the target audiences over time? How?
  
  
• As a result of the organization's effort to engage the target audiences, do the organization's management practices, information flow, individual and team practices, work processes, performance goals, training and education, individual and team development, methods of collaborating and working across disciplines change over time? How?
  
  
• Do Walker staff methods of working with community partners change over time? How?
  
  

Focus Groups
Focus groups will be the primary means of collecting qualitative data. Participants from artist residencies in progress or recently completed residencies will be interviewed at three points in time.

• During the first year of the grant, focus groups will provide baseline information on target group usage and perceptions of the Walker, contemporary art and artists, and involvement with neighborhood social, civic, and cultural organizations.
  
  
• Two years into the Artists and Communities at the Crossroads project, focus groups will provide insight into target audiences' changing perceptions and usage of the Walker, and their awareness of and satisfaction with the project activities. The findings will be used to refine target audience programs, internal practices, and community relations, and will be analyzed and reported in this context.
  
  
• In the final year of the grant, focus groups will be used to examine the impact of the Walker's programs and practices on the target audience, as well as the impact working with these target audiences has had at the Walker. Target audiences will be asked to discuss how their involvement with the museum has affected their lives. The findings will provide a summation of the Artists and Communities at the Crossroads project outcomes, as well as an assessment of the Walker's ability to sustain target audiences and relationships built with target neighborhoods.

Site Visits
During the two to four day period when the researcher is on site for focus groups, extensive interviews will also be conducted with Walker staff and board members, neighborhood advisory committee members, community organization representatives, and artists-in-residence. Interview questions will focus on issues surrounding organizational change and development, multidisciplinary planning and practices, artists’ efforts to make the creative process understood and relevant to community members.

Documentation and Dissemination Plan
Three reports will be submitted to the Walker during the course of the project and will serve as a primary means of documenting activities and outcomes. The first report, submitted in summer 1999, will be a baseline assessment; the second report, submitted in 2001, will explore implications of the findings with an emphasis upon refining programs and practices; and the third report, submitted in 2002, will report project outcomes and the Walker’s potential to sustain programs, audiences, and relationships in the target communities. Each report will use a combination of media, such as an edited video representing focus group highlights; a portfolio including materials that illustrate outcomes produced by the organization, artist residents, residency participants, or community partners, as well as a traditional written analyses.

The Walker will employ a variety of means to ensure that findings are disseminated to local, regional, and national audiences. Reports outlined above will be distributed to Walker staff, the Community Neighborhood Advisory Committee members, and partnering organizations. Most of the partnering organizations have established communications channels with their constituents, including neighborhood newsletters, meeting groups, and mailing lists. These channels will be utilized to ensure communications involve each partner's constituents. The Walker will contribute the skills of its professional media relations, marketing, and internationally recognized graphic design staffs; by working together, each organization will reach both broad and specific audiences. The Walker already has established relationships within each community through community centers, schools, churches, and small businesses that serve as additional vehicles for distribution of information.

The dissemination plan also involves sharing the results of the project with other organizations and institutions, both locally and nationally. Information will be disseminated through community meetings, regional and national press contacts, professional and service organizations, addresses at professional conferences (American Association of Museums, College Art Association), and conference publications. Summary information will also be published on this Web site.