A colorful banner with the words "We utilize the power of art & community to facilitate deep discussion, co-create equitable solutions, and be the change.

A Creative Evaluation Firm

What We Do

At Coco Canary, we do evaluation differently

We are cultural workers using evaluation, community engagement, and art to keep organizations grounded in their values and held accountable to their social justice goals.

Always in collaboration with clients and consulting partners, we use arts-based approaches and community-based participatory research (CBPR) best practices to evaluate programs, organizational development, or community initiatives.

We call this Creative Evaluation.

A video about a Coco Canary Creative Evaluation Project completed in 2023 created by the Public Health - Seattle & King County Communication's Department

We recognize that each project we do is part of a larger ecosystem that is pushing for systems change, whether that be a grassroots movement, a DEAI initiative at an organization, or a government-funded program.

Mixed media drawing of an infinity sign with arrows going from Align, Learn, Adapt, and Embody

A visualization of the Creative Evaluation & Engagement Approach by Nora Murphy Johnson & A. Rafael Johnson. Drawn by Molly C. O'Connor

Our Process

We use the Creative Evaluation & Engagement Approach (Johnson & Johnson, 2022). It offers a non-linear way to align, learn, adapt, and embody the complexity of data and sense-making. While also promoting equity, trust, healing, and transformative change.

When working with and in community, we also utilize Community-Based Participatory Research best practices (Wallerstein, 2018).

At Coco Canary, we use this approach with our clients to design, measure, and critically engage with their work. And we do this using arts-based methods, principles-based approaches, and community-centric practices.

Our process is intuitive. With any project grounded in equity—and has the outcome for shared liberation—it is necessary to have your heart and mind open to emergent change. To accommodate for emergence, we use guiding principles, which are values written into actionable statements. These principles become the project's North Star, helping us know when we get off track and how to get back on, always grounded in our values and overall goals.

A visual depiction using a sunrise pattern of what creative evaluation looks like

For example, our process almost always has an "Evocative Playback," which is an embodiment technique where data is translated into an artistic performance or exhibition, to allow for deeper meaning making. Getting to that point can take many different shapes and forms, each of which are valid. Because, in the end, our process prioritizes the journey not the outcome.

Interested in learning more about Evocative Playback?

Watch our videos at Coco Canary's Youtube page (in English and Español)

Case Studies

Current & Past Clients

  • King County Hazardous Waste Management Program

  • Public Health - Seattle & King County

  • University of Minnesota - Dept of Forest Resources

  • CYD Consulting & Habitat for Humanity (Twin Cities)

  • ACT Research

  • Inspire to Change

A photo taken of a community convening

An image of a community convening for a creative evaluation project

Who We Are

A mid-shot of Molly smiling in maroon overalls and a white floral shirt. Molly has brown hair tied back into a ponytail and a light pink-hued complexion.

Molly C. O'Connor

(she/her/hers)

Creative Evaluator

An image of the Coco Canary EP album cover.

Click Here to Listen to Coco Canary Music!

Molly C. O'Connor is the founder and principal consultant at Coco Canary. Her specialties are Creative Evaluation & Engagement, principles-based approaches, community engagement, and radical facilitation (self and organizational equity work). She is brought into projects as a collaborative thought partner, creative strategist, and/or facilitator.

She has an M.S. in Natural Resources Science & Management with a minor in Evaluation Studies from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. As well as has a professional background in ecology, youth programs, human services, filmmaking, and museum education.

Molly is descended from strong, resilient, and creative women that came from Ireland, Norway, Finland, and Scotland. Currently, she is based in St. Paul, MN (the unceded lands of the Dakota people).

Fun Facts About Molly

- She is a filmmaker and cartoonist (pen & paper, not so much digital)
- She is a musician and released an EP in 2023 titled, "Coco Canary."
- She has an identical twin sister who lives in Washington, D.C.
- She lives in an intentional community with her partner and friends
- She loves to host gatherings & cook delicious food (predominantly vegetarian/vegan)

Meyers-Briggs: INFP

StrengthsFinder (CliftonStreangths): Empathy | Adaptability | Developer | Positivity | Arranger

Our Consulting Partners

Molly does not work alone. She has a team of talented subcontractors (evaluators, writers, artists, etc.) to call in when needed. See some of our partners below.

Sully smiling up to the camera in a colorful shirt

Sully Moreno

(she/her/hers)

Community Engagement Specialist

Sully Moreno is the founder and principal consultant at Culture Shift Consulting. She is a multilingual community engagement and communications professional. Her specialty is facilitating conversations, relationship-building, and translating concepts into actionable efforts.

She has an M.A. in Media and Communication Studies from Florida State University.

Sully is based in Seattle, WA (the stolen of the Duwamish, Coast Salish, and many more).

Click here to learn more about Sully and Culture Shift Consulting

Culture shift logo

Our Guiding Principles

Coco Canary is a principles-driven organization. This means we have guiding principles, which are values translated into actionable statements. They ground our thinking, inform our decision-making, and guide our actions.

Quiet
Strength

Lead from a place of quiet strength. Allow people to more deeply access their own quiet strength.

Gentle
Healing

Offer and hold space for gentle healing grounded in love, trust, and compassion.

Joyful
Connection

Bring people together through creativity, connection, and joy.

Radical
Engagement

Reflect, learn, and meaningfully engage in dismantling harmful systems within ourselves and our communities.

Strive For
Authenticity

Strive to let go of ego and live a life with openness, vulnerability, and authenticity.

Newsletters

Get up to speed with what Coco Canary has been up to by reading our newsletters.

Upcoming Community-Based Participatory Research Project, Calls to Action, and more!

The Coco Canary Newsletter May 2024 Summary: Exciting news! We have a big Community-Based Participatory Research project starting this summer with Sully Moreno and Public Health—Seattle & King County. In this project, we will use our creative evaluation, community engagement, and arts-based methods skills to co-lead community-led research! We will...

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How To Contact Us

Email us at moconnor@cococanary.com or fill out the form below. We look forward to hearing from you!

© Copyright 2024 Coco Canary Consulting, LLC