Emma McDowell

Emma McDowell is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the Centre for Cultural Value, Research Fellow at the University of Leeds, and an Associate Consultant at The Audience Agency. Their PhD explored the processes of participatory sense-making, articulation and communication of cultural value in contemporary theatre-making and marketing practice. Emma is particularly interested in how notions of cultural value are articulated, communicated and enacted through arts management, policy and evaluation structures. They have expertise in research design, qualitative and participatory co-research and have recently published a book chapter on mixing methods in audience research, as well as a series of sector-facing publications and case studies of evaluation and research practice. Emma is also Social Media Editor for the international interdisciplinary journal Cultural Trends, and Co-Chair of Red Ladder Theatre Company’s board of trustees. Prior to this Emma worked for over ten years in various arts marketing, producing and research roles in the arts and cultural sector.