apicture
ofhappiness

a new research and evaluation department is uncovering the positive impacts of arts education 

Ask an 11-year-old a probing question and you might be lucky to receive a three-word reply. 

But when you invite that child to answer the question by taking a photograph, a more expressive answer develops. 

This research methodology, known as “photovoice,” is one now used by the Research and Evaluation department at NJPAC, as it seeks ways to measure the effects of the Arts Center’s Arts Education programs, among others.

The purpose of the new department — formally launched in September 2025 — is to advance academic research and rigorous evaluations into the effectiveness of the Arts Center’s social impact programming, and leverage these findings to make Arts Education, Arts & Well-Being and Community Engagement offerings even more impactful to the communities NJPAC serves. The research may also bolster support for arts education programs elsewhere.

“My overarching goal is to situate NJPAC as the national hub of this work,” said Dr. Taylor Masamitsu, Senior Director, Research and Evaluation, who is heartened by the extensive interest from other educational and cultural organizations in the process and scope of NJPAC’s research. 

Dr. Masamitsu’s team has conducted program evaluations with participants in NJPAC social impact programs such as Dodge Poetry in the Community and the Black/Jewish Understanding Project, a community dialogue now entering its fourth year. But much of the work done so far has focused on NJPAC’s Arts Education programs. 

One of the studies Dr. Masamitsu led, based on arts education research conducted at NJPAC, was selected for presentation in April at the conference of the American Educational Research Association. 

Among the findings it reported? Young artists value acceptance. Something we may have previously assumed, but can now confirm, is that community-building — which is at the core of NJPAC Arts Training programs — is beneficial to young artists’ social and emotional growth. 

How do we know that? In other words, how does a performing arts center conduct qualitative social science research? 

Through engagement with the arts, obviously! 

Young artists enrolled in NJPAC Arts Education programs were asked about why they signed up and how they would describe their NJPAC experience. 

They were invited to answer those questions by taking photographs with their phones. 

“Photovoice is all nuance — it welcomes everyone’s perspectives, making the analysis more rigorous and more honest,” Dr. Masamitsu said.

Then, during a series of focus groups that took place over six months, 29 young artists shared their photographs with the research team and explained their significance.  

For example: An 11-year-old expressed their feelings through two photos of cardboard robots found in Arts High School, where the fall and spring semesters of Arts Training took place. The first robot was seated in a dim light and, according to the young artist, showed the sadness that they felt before joining Acting and Musical Theater classes at NJPAC. 

The second robot was upright, decorated with colorful stickers and pictured in bright light. According to the young artist, that image represented how they felt after two years in Arts Training programs — happy, confident and with a clear sense that they have something meaningful to contribute to NJPAC and to their school.  

This photovoice study was one of 12 Research and Evaluation projects that took place during the 2025 – 2026 academic year. 

“This is really only the beginning of this work,” Dr. Masamitsu said. “We had an incredibly ambitious year and I’m very pleased, but there’s a lot more to learn and to share.

“Arts centers are archives of innovation, inspiration and learning. We have a duty to honor the experiences that have been made here and the lives we still aim to be in service to.” 

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