Evaluation of British Council UK/Australia Season

The UK/Australia Season 2021–22, led by the British Council and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), aimed to reframe, refresh and re-energise the relationship between Australia and the UK through cultural exchange. Under the theme 'Who are we now?', this landmark cultural exchange reflected on the UK and Australia's shared artistic history, took stock of their current creative relationship and imaged what a collaborative future might look like. The innovative intercontinental endeavour took place between 2021 and 2022 and incorporated live and digital events spanning theatre, film, visual arts, dance, design, architecture, music, literature, higher education, training and a public engagement programme. 

We were commissioned to deliver the programme evaluation of the UK/Australia Season supporting the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to evaluate the Season as a whole. This included providing guidance and resources for partners to deliver their own evaluation and contribute to the programme evaluation.  

We are very proud and grateful to have worked on the evaluation of #UKAustraliaSeason alongside some of the most committed and culturally ambitious colleagues we have had the pleasure of collaborating with.  

The UK/Australia Season 2021–22, led by the British Council and Australia DFAT, fulfilled its main aims and objectives, substantially achieving results and impacts which will have a legacy beyond the initiative itself. There were several notable individual successes, as well as providing benefits for the cultural sector and stakeholders in Australia and the UK. 

It was a landmark cultural exchange between the two nations, incorporating live and digital events spanning theatre, film, visual arts, dance, design, architecture, music, literature, higher education, training and a public engagement programme. Especially important in its success, was its ‘bilateral’ nature, with Australian work produced in the UK as well as UK work in Australia (the latter being the way that British Council seasons tend to be oriented). As well as providing access to a range of Australian work for UK audiences, it also led to a greater degree of collaboration between the countries, not only between the participants of the project but also at government level and with other cultural and educational arms-length bodies.