Students in the Department of Communication Studies conducted interviews and analyzed data to better understand how Iowa City area residents perceive and consume local art, and to learn about awareness of the local arts non-profit Public Space One. 

Undergraduate students in the honors discussion section of a communication research methods class conducted research for Iowa City arts nonprofit Public Space One. The primary function of research was to discover community perception of art within the Iowa City area.  Additional goals were to a) provide Public Space One with applicable data on local attitudes towards artistic engagement, with the hope of increasing efficiency of the organization’s future programming and b) provide Public Space One with information conducive for use in further community research, surveys, and/or grant application.

Over the course of a semester, six student researchers formulated survey questions, conducted field interviews, analyzed and coded data, and provided the organization with research for use in future surveys. The researchers worked collaboratively with Public Space One representatives to determine artistic engagement levels within the Iowa City area. The team engaged in audio-recorded interviews with Iowa City residents to determine levels of engagement and perception to both Public Space One and to the local arts community.  The audio files were coded into data points and analyzed for the final product.