This study is anchored in ADC Consulting’s research values and principles. In practice, the application of these values across the research process includes:

• Establishment of a paid advisory cohort of members of the arts and cultural community that is diverse across lived experience, expertise, geography, and who actively engage in the work of ASOs in different capacities.

• Engaging in a three part-research process that considers multiple modalities, perspectives, and data collection processes that aim to amplify the work of individuals providing ASO-style services.

• Acknowledging the ongoing impact the pandemic has on both the research process, the individuals who are a part of the process, and the cultural sector.

• Acknowledging the ways in which white supremacy, war, economic precarity, and climate change are affecting the arts and culture sector and therefore the outcome of this study.

• Exhausting all possible resources to ensure a large cross-section of members of the community are able to contribute to the research process by sharing their stories, ideas and areas of expertise through interviews and focus groups, and through that process seeking their consent, compensating them for their time, and communicating transparently about the purpose and use of their information and/or contributions.

• Understanding that our research alone cannot solve all of the problems it aims to observe, explore or influence, including acknowledging our limitations as humans and researchers. This means working with others, institutions and individuals, to both spread the word of the work and to advocate for the application of its findings in ways that move collective goals of liberation and wellbeing for artists, creative workers, and their communities.

This research aims to better define and tell the story of ASOs as members of the larger arts ecosystem, and in the context of a changing funding landscape and struggling arts sector, provide insights into the paths ASO’s can take to move towards sustainability and better serve their constituencies. Therefore, it is meant to first and foremost benefit ASOs and the stakeholders who impact their work and whom they serve. This includes but is not limited to:

• ASO workers — as the individuals tasked with carrying the work of ASOs forward

• Funders of ASO’s (private and public) and policy makers — as the stakeholders whose decisions impact the resourcing of ASOs and their ability to remain operational

• Arts organizations and individual artists — as the intended beneficiaries of the work ASOs do and their raison d'etre.

Our hope is to more accurately tell the story of the importance of ASOs in the arts ecosystem, what makes them effective and/or ineffective, and what role they can play in better serving artists and their communities. Underlying this belief in ASO’s is the acknowledgement that arts and culture are critical parts of healthy societies, and so it is vital to ensure the systems, resources, and relationships that exist properly nurture, sustain, and strengthen artists, creative workers, and their communities. As members of that ecosystem, ASO’s play a role in this network of support and can either contribute to their wellbeing or play a role in exacerbating their conditions. To that end the research questions guiding phase 1 of this research include:

• What is the history of ASOs? How have they evolved over time in response to shifts in the arts ecosystem and the changing needs of individual arts workers and arts entities?

• What is the ASO typology framework?

• What information or data do we need to collect to understand ASOs?

Additional research questions spanning future research phases can be found in the research overview.

• May – October 2023
Preparation and background research

• November – December 2023
Establishment of advisory cohort & subject typology

• December – January 2024
Development of research values & refinement of research process

• February 2024
Writing of historical context; sectoral interviews & focus groups; fundraising for Phase 2

• March 2024
Development of data collection instruments & methodology; defining of study universe

• April 2024
Writing of Phase 1 Analysis

• May 2024
Publication of analysis; public convening