British Ceramics Biennial
We designed and delivered a mixed-methods evaluation for one of the UK's leading contemporary ceramics festivals, capturing impact across a major international biennial and year-round artist development programme.
SECTOR
Creative and Cultural
WHAT WE DID
Framing the Work
Evaluation framework built around BCB's own six strategic outcome areas and Theory of Change, rather than imposing an external structure, ensuring findings reflected the festival's distinct mission across artistic excellence, community benefit and sector leadership.
Mixed-methods design shaped to hold the full complexity of a six-week programme spanning major exhibitions, community commissions, international partnerships, education visits and a flagship conference.
ACE Let's Create outcomes mapped alongside BCB's own framework, giving the report dual utility for internal learning and funder reporting.
Learning and Evidence
Visitor surveys (n=705), artist and staff interviews, structured observations and existing programme data combined to build a picture of impact across artists, audiences, volunteers and the wider sector.
Economic impact modelled using median spend per postcode projected across total attendance, with multiplier effects applied, generating a robust £1.5m total economic impact figure for Stoke-on-Trent.
Artist pipeline data analysed alongside audience evidence, with 800+ applications for 70+ exhibiting places, positioning BCB's evaluation within the wider argument for its role as the UK's leading platform for contemporary ceramics.
Sense Making and Legacy
Evaluation report evidencing impact at scale: 37,855 total attendees, 97% rating their experience good or excellent, Net Promoter Score of 60.
Findings framed to be usable beyond this edition, with recommendations structured around BCB's six outcomes to support planning for 2027.
Evidence base positioned to support BCB's ongoing case to Arts Council England, funders and civic partners for ceramics as a driver of place, economy and national cultural identity.
Clare Wood
Artistic Director & Chief Executive
British Ceramics Biennial
"Working with Culture Change Works has been a pleasure. The team picked up the brief swiftly and worked effectively and independently to deliver a comprehensive and informative report. The British Ceramics Biennial is a complex event with many partners and participating artists. Holly, Laura and Hannah managed this complexity with assurance and distilled a huge amount of information into the final report, which will be invaluable in informing BCB's planning and delivery in future."