Evaluating for Impact

This article uses a knowledge exchange (KE)-based approach to evaluation to explore the reported experiences of artists, scientists, and land managers participating in the NaturePLACE Program (formerly Urban Field Station [UFS] Arts), focusing on the period 2016–2024. The primary aim of the program is to build understanding of and engagement with urban social-ecological systems through the arts. The approach to this evaluation draws on a range of literature on research in the arts, as well as research and KE impact evaluation from the environmental research domain. The evaluation reported in this article is distinctive in focusing on the interactions of participants rather than on perceptions of beneficiaries. The data analyzed comprise evaluations (n = 49) submitted at the conclusion of the residency by six cohorts involved in the NaturePLACE Program (2016, 2017, 2018, 2020–2021, 2022–2023, 2024–2025). This article provides important insights into the impacts on artists, scientists, and land managers from transdisciplinary place-based work. Causes of impact not previously noted within the framework are identified as related specifically to the arts, including modes of sensuous aesthetic attunement, forms of focusing attention and eliciting public discourse, and shaping cultural imaginaries. Critical reflection also becomes evident as an aspect of capacity building.