Two public sculptures commissioned for Plough Lane, Wimbledon, each celebrating an aspect of the site - Wimbledon Football Club, previously situated here, and the historic River Wandle, which flows through it. Local peoples’ stories and images contribute to each piece.

In her current role as Director of Cultural Programmes with CCE, Professor Bamford is overseeing the implementation of the Find Your Talent (FYT) programme and other cultural programmes for CCE. FYT is an ambitious national programme that gives children and young people the chance to explore different cultural and creative activities. FYT is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Arts Council England and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

A commissioned DVD by artist Jane Bailey and images by local schoolchildren celebrate D&G’s collection of Australian Aboriginal paintings at Swan Court, Wimbledon. These are to be displayed in the foyer, accompanied by a catalogue of the paintings.

Launched in 1996 and concluded in 2006, over eleven years Sciart supported 118 projects with nearly £3 million of funding. This research aimed to document the legacy of Sciart and to consider the long-term impact of the scheme.

The objectives of the research were to capture learning about the outcomes and effects that had arisen from the Awards and at the same time to develop a method for assessing impact that could be adapted and used by other funders and researchers.

In 2008-09 an impact evaluative research was undertaken in Iceland to gather comprehensive data about the extent and quality of arts and cultural education in Iceland. The evaluation focused on the following questions:

• What is being done in arts education and how is it being done?
• What is the quality of arts education in Iceland?
• What are the possibilities and challenges currently and into the future?

These questions were addressed through the use of an intensive six-month study funded by the Icelandic Ministry of Education that used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The results of this work will be published in December 2009.

In March 2009, the Engine Room was commissioned by Federation of Music Services (FMS), to provide objective evidence about the impact of the WO programme. The research tracked personal, social, cultural, educational, ethical and economic impact of the programme. A survey was sent to all participating schools in England and field work and focus groups were conducted in eight local authorities. The results of this research will be published in January 2010.

Knowledge Connects is a London Development Agency and European Regional Development Fund supported program that aims to deliver measurable business improvement through targeted support provided by London knowledgebase.

Polka Theatre (Angle PLC)

Engine Room supports Polka Theatre in developing an evaluation system to measure the soft outcomes of its participatory work with young people. The achievements of Polka education program will be highlighted in order to improve communication, promotion, access to funding and staff development.

Roxy Bar & Screen (Angle PLC)

Engine Room collaborates with Roxy Bar & Screen, a non publicly-funded venue that showcases a broad range of cultural exhibition and independent audiovisual material within a comfortable bar environment. Engine Room is committed to investigate Roxy innovative business model in relation to cultural organizations and design a research-based strategy to support the company in its expansion.

Two secondary schools took part in a 2-day sculpture workshop at Wimbledon College of Art, creating masks and costumes from the musical Lion King. These were presented at an arts event, and the project filmed with pupils contributing to the final edit.

Tate Encounters is a collaborative research project looking at the role of a national art museum in the formation of national identity. The project focused on Tate Britain, as the museum that holds and displays the National Collection of British Art from 1500 to the present day. Questions, such as, ‘What impression of Britain does Tate Britain give?’ were asked in respect of people who had migrated to Britain or whose parents had migrated to the UK. The project began in 2006 and is now entering its closing phase as a three-year Large Grants project funded under the Diasporas Migrations and Identity programme of the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Tate Encounters is a collaboration between Tate Britain, London South Bank University and the University of the Arts London.

The Visual Artists Research Unit is an initiative of Arts Council England. It was established in June 2006 in response a need by policymakers, practitioners and the public for reliable research evidence. The Unit is based within the Engine Room at Wimbledon College of Art, University of the Arts London (UAL) and its work is overseen by the Visual Arts and Galleries Association (VAGA). The Unit received funding for a pilot year to explore its feasibility and to test demand. During the year rigorous, transparent research methods have been developed and the Artists Research website has been built. Research evidence about visual artists that can be trusted is presented in easy to understand language.

For further information contact Professor Anne Bamford.

Visual Dialogues is a one-year evaluation of a national project aimed at linking national museums with their counterparts in cities across England. The project focused on connections between Tyne and Wear Museums, Manchester Art Gallery, Museums Sheffield, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Tate Britain. Works drawn from the Tate Collection were exhibited across all five museums involved in the project. Young people at each of the different sites developed innovative approaches to interpretation of the exhibited artworks. Engine Room was asked by Tate to conduct an evaluation of the programme based on its known expertise in the fields of art and education. The evaluation research is funded by Tate.