How Return on Art™ Works
Return on Art™ (ROA™) is a measurable system for proving the public value of the arts.
It connects artistic engagement to validated human outcomes—such as belonging, confidence, empathy, and a growth mindset—so boards, funders, and councils can see the arts as essential civic infrastructure, not extras.
The framework builds on The Wallace Foundation’s Public Value Model (2005) and advances it into practice by embedding data, language, and governance tools that make impact measurable, fundable, and repeatable.
Every engagement with Meleca Creative Advisors begins with this foundation: aligning your programs, people, and partnerships around outcomes that prove relevance and attract investment.
The ROA™ framework gives the field the proof it’s been waiting for.
Here’s why my cross-sector perspective made it possible to build it.
Not from the arts —
and that’s the advantage.
After three decades working across journalism, politics, and public policy, I turned my focus to the arts—bringing a systems-level lens the sector had long been missing.
We bridge mission and metrics, translating artistic impact into outcomes that move funders, shape policy, and strengthen relevance.
From Awareness to Accountability:
The Pathway to Measurable Public Value
The Renaissance of Relevance™ Funnel shows how organizations move from awareness to measurable, fundable proof of impact. Each stage deepens understanding, alignment, and accountability, helping organizations not only prove their impact but live it—by learning the language of outcomes to embedding it into governance.
It starts by reframing the problem of disregard, defines success through the 5 Outcomes Framework, operationalizes it with the 90-Day Impact Roadmap, institutionalizes it through the Governance Layer, and scales it using the Return on Art™ Framework.
This isn’t a consulting sequence—it’s a change model. One that helps boards, funders, and leaders turn artistic mission into measurable civic value. Every organization enters at a different point but moves toward the same goal: making relevance measurable, fundable, and sustainable.
A five-stage pathway that helps organizations move from
awareness to measurable public value, transforming how
boards, funders, and leaders define and demonstrate impact.
Renaissance of Relevance™ Funnel
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Awareness
Reframe the problem of disregard. Learn the language of outcomes and connect artistic value to measurable human impact.
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Alignment
Adopt the 5 Outcomes Framework. Define success through belonging, empathy, confidence, and creativity—not attendance alone.
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Activation
Implement your 90-Day Impact Roadmap. Translate understanding into measurable, fundable outcomes.
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Accountability
Establish the Governance Layer. Equip boards and funders with outcome-based decision-making and resource-alignment tools.
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Advancement
Scale through the Return on Art™ Framework. Institutionalize measurement as your organization’s proof of relevance and public value.
“Angela gave us language for what we’ve always known: our work changes lives, not just attendance numbers.”