Impact Through Arts Research
Image: Data Arts case study featuring Ngoma Center for Dance
Research feeds our curiosity around a question, while data becomes the product of our tenacity and dedication to wanting to learn more about our questioning. Data informs us about the world around us, especially within the arts. In a constantly changing arts world, arts organizations need to learn about these changes to better serve their communities and their industry.
Knowledge is Power: Changing The Arts Through Data & Research
Ngoma Center for Dance has placed data at the forefront of our programmatic understanding. Since our first journalistic endeavor – Ngoma Reader Magazine – in 2013, Ngoma has fought to have voices heard. Data has given us context and a deeper understanding of the challenges (and discoveries) we face.
Past Research Projects
DC Black Dance History
A Change Gon’ Come: A Text on Washington, D.C. African-American Dance History
Typology for Black Dance’s Reconstruction and Advancement in the New Millennium.
By Shawn Short (2012)
Utilizing archived footage, images, and notes Ngoma Center for Dance’s depositories, Researcher Shawn Short was able to excavate the historical landscape of Black DC dance history as an empirical assessment and guide to dance industry sustainability through best-practice and social enterprise methodologies leading into the 21st century.
Successful Impact:
Increase in Funding for DC Black Majority GrantEE Program
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (Washington, DC)
East of the River Grant Program
The East of the River (EOR) grant provides access to high-quality arts and humanities experiences for DC residents who live east of the Anacostia River. Activities may be programs or projects that include, but are not limited to, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts. Funding may be used to support operational and programmatic costs directly related to the East of the River activities described in the application.
Priority will be given to organizations with a principal place of business in Wards 7 or 8, have a satellite location located in Ward 7 or 8, or have an established program or project partnership with a business or nonprofit located in Ward 7 or 8. The majority of grantees in this program are African-American.
Increase of Annual Program Budget (2019)
Contact: Dr. Khalid Randolf, PhD – Senior Grant Manager, CAH
Attempting to understand his community at greater lengths, Dr. Randfolf reached out to Ngoma Center for Dance ( a grantee at the time). At the time (2016) the EOR annual budget was $300,000 serving 24 grantees. Randolf wished to increase the program funding. However, he didn’t have sufficient data to support his efforts.
Through Ngoma’s research donated to Randolf:
1. The program received an increase of $700,000 (2019) for 30 grantees annually (currently the program is $1.2 million)
2. Grantee awards increase from $18K to $30K award max
Ngoma Center for Dance’s efforts, in part, aided in a more than 100% increase in city arts funding that aided diversity in arts funding for DC arts organizations.
Ngoma Reader Magazine
Image: Copies of Ngoma Reader Magazine (2013 – 2016)
Washington, D.C.’s Dance Magazine The Ngoma Reader (NR) was a Bi-monthly online publication (2013-2015) that gave literary voice to dance artists of Washington, D.C. NR speaks through three core components: Community (D.C. Dance Directory), Awareness (Shows, Events, Projects, Season Announcements), Celebration (History, Spotlights).
Successful Impact:
Increase of representation of Brown & Black DC Artists
What started as a mere question of, ” Where are the artists of color” awakened and revitalized siloed Brown & Black artists in the wake of a white-hegemonistic arts sector.
Impact Success
– Introduced 5,000 DC area residents to artists of color
– Conducted conversations, assessments, and collaborations with 34 DC Black Dance entities to launch Black Dance Festival DMV in 2019
– Ngoma acquired new programming guest teachers, and choreographers