the elusive quest of measuring art's social impact
While many still question the tangible impact of art in the field of social development, I stand firmly in its transformative power—not only as a consultant and evaluator, but also as a musician and visual artist.
Over the years, I have worked closely with artists, cultural entrepreneurs, and collectives who use creativity to drive systemic change. My role has been to help them capture and communicate their social impact, particularly through participatory and non-extractive methodologies.
Selected collaborations include:
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Outa Hamra – A street theater and clown collective in Egypt promoting the inclusion of migrants and street-connected children in Egypt. I helped them define impact indicators and develop a Theory of Change.
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Catharsis – The Lebanese Center for Drama Therapy – I supported their advocacy and drama therapy work in prisons and mental health institutions and with migrant workers by helping their communication and fundraising strategy grounded in tangible impact.
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Alwan wa Awtar – A youth-focused organization using art for empowerment in Egypt. I facilitated participatory strategic planning, facilitated their theory of change and co-designed their impact framework.
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InCultura Cultural Incubator (Mexico) – I led a series of arts-based evaluation workshops for cultural entrepreneurs and supported them in articulating the value of their work.
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Nahdet El Mahrousa (Egypt)– I mentored art and culture social enterprises (among a larger portfolios), from open mic platforms to creative hubs for youth guiding them through impact documentation and business model refinement.
A "serious play" case study:
collage created by and theory of change co-created with the wonderful Alwan wa Awtar team (Cairo, 2010)