ABSTRACT
Emotional connections from individuals engaged in large public events are commonly touted as one of the benefits of civic investments in ‘placemaking.’ Pragmatically, it is difficult to achieve and measure outcomes of ownership and belonging in large-scale productions. Festivals can be especially challenging due to their reputation for distraction. By examining the case of the 47-year old Tucson Meet Yourself folklife festival in Tucson, Arizona, this chapter explores the dynamics that inform a distinctive sense of rootedness in and with the public through a ‘distributed benefits model’ of evaluation. Seeking to offer insights to planners and cultural advocates interested in assessing the impact of placemaking projects through a lens of social equity and inclusion, the author (who is also the festival’s program director) demonstrates how self-critique and ethnographic reflection can serve as indispensable practices in the evaluator’s toolkit. The chapter suggests that lessons in longitudinal learning, grounded relationships, and equitable returns can be harvested from the folklore field to better inform placemaking efforts more broadly.
