FutureEverything: ArtsAPI: Research & Development Report

ArtsAPI was a research and development project on how to better understand and evidence the connectivity and connections that arts organisations generate between things, people and events. The outcome is a proof of concept business modelling and analytic tool to enable arts organisations to generate new insight from data.
ArtsAPI was led by 3 partners:
FutureEverything, is an art and innovation organisation that conceived and led the project; Swirrl, is a leading linked open data (LOD) developer with a long track record of partnership with FutureEverything; and University of Dundee, is a leading research university with a strong academic team who offered expertise in analysing networks of people, organisations and things.
A wider group of arts partners were collaborators in the project. These were:
 Blast Theory
 Red Eye
 Culture 24
 Forma
 Warwick Arts
 Contact Theatre
 Islington Mill
 Baltic
What is it?
ArtsAPI is a web application and an ambitious and experimental research and development project.
The ArtsAPI web application is designed to enable arts organisations to show the value and impact generated through their networks. We believe that many arts organisations generate significant value through the relationships they create and sustain, but far too often this is not articulated or evidenced sufficiently to leverage insight, support and opportunities. ArtsAPI uses data to give organisations new insight into their relationships both internally and externally. This insight can be used

for business planning, marketing, programming and as a way of demonstrating your impact.
The tool uses email data gathered from team members to generate the following:
 A visualisation of your network both on an individual and organisational level
 A list of all the organisations and individuals you are connected to both on an individual and organisational level
 A clustering tool which will allow you to analyse how well connected you are to different sectors (some manual input is required)
 A clustering tool which will allow you to analyse how well connected you are to different cities and countries (some manual input is required)
 It gives you insight into Keywords that you use in email exchanges. These keywords can indicate the types of activities of individuals in your network
 It gives you insight into the Social Network Analysis measure of ‘out degrees’ – a measure which demonstrates whom within the network is distributing information
 It gives you insight into the Social Network Analysis measure of ‘in degrees’ – a measure which demonstrates whom within a network is receiving information from other nodes
 It gives you insight into the Social Network Analysis measure of ‘Degree Centrality’ – a measure which demonstrates which nodes are central to a network in terms of control over information flow
 It gives you insight into the Social Network Analysis measure of ‘Density’ – a measure that gives some insight into the speed of information handling within the network

Outcomes
The main outcome of this ambitious and exploratory project is a proof of concept web application. This has been trialled and showcased through a roadshow, and the project themes have been communicated through an art commission. The ambitious and experimental research and development process has generated new findings, and also revealed significant challenges that further development will need to address.