COMEDIA
The Social Impact of Arts
Programs
How The Arts Measure Up:
Australian research into social impact
Working Paper 8:
1.1 COMMUNITY
ART IN A SELF ORGANISING SOCIAL SYSTEM.
2.2 COMMUNITY
ART AS A GENERATOR OF SOCIAL CAPITAL
2.3 COMMUNICATING
IDEAS AND INFORMATION
2.4 IMPROVED
UNDERSTANDING OF DIFFERENT CULTURES AND LIFESTYLES
2.5 IMPROVING
CONSULTATION BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY
3 BUILDING
AND DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES
3.2 COMMUNITY
IS A LIVED EXPERIENCE
3.1 DEVELOPING
COMMUNITY IDENTITY
3.5 IMPROVING
PUBLIC FACILITIES
3.6 BUILDING
AND DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES: OVERALL RESULTS
4.2 RAISING
PUBLIC AWARENESS OF AN ISSUE.
4.3 IMPROVING
PLANNING AND DESIGN FOR PUBLIC SPACES.
5.3 SOCIAL
AND POLITICAL AWARENESS
5.4 PERSONAL,
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL AWARENESS
5.5 OVERALL
POSITIVE IMPACT RATINGS FOR THE CASE STUDY PROJECTS
7.1 OTHER
FACTORS UNDERPINNING SUCCESSFUL RESOURCING
The Social
Impact of Arts Programmes' is Comedia's 4th major study of cultural policy,
following research into libraries, parks and the creative city. It addresses
key issues in contemporary arts practice, including the social purpose and
value of participatory arts, through case studies and related research. The aim
of the project is to develop a methodology for evaluating the social impact of
arts programmes and to begin to assess that impact in key areas. This is being
addressed by:
a)
Establishing a number of
case studies to evaluate the social impact of specific programmes and the assessment
structures within which they operate.
b)
Reviewing existing
literature on social impact in relation to arts programmes alongside comparable
thinking in other fields.
c)
Providing a background
analysis of the value of arts programmes in achieving social outcomes more
commonly targeted through other forms of intervention.
d)
Stimulating a debate around
the social impact of arts programmes through the publication of working papers,
and associated meetings and seminars.
e)
Publishing a comprehensive
report outlining the findings of the research and proposing a workable
methodology for the evaluation of the social impact of arts programmes.
To date, and following a feasibility study in
Bolton, the programme includes case studies in Nottingham, Glasgow, Portsmouth,
Hounslow. Batley, North Western Scotland and Finland. A further international
study is looking at the social impact of the creative use of digital
technology.
The advisory group members are Ken Bartlett, Franco
Bianchini Tony Bovaird, Roland Humphrey, Alex MacGllivray, Anne Peaker, Usha
Prashar, Prof. Ken Robinson, Polly Toynbee, Dr Jill Vincent and Perry
The study also includes a series of Working
Papers, written mostly by people who are not directly involved in the research,
but who have specialist knowledge or interest to offer to the debate around the
social impact of the arts. As the series title suggests, they often draw on
work in progress, or explore issues discursively, without neces
This Working Paper, no 8 in the series, was
written by
For further information about the study please
contact Francois Matarasso, tel/fax 0115 982 6330 or email
f.matarasso@btinternet.com
PS The final outcome from the Social Impact of
Arts Programs was published as Use or Ornament? which is available from
COMEDIA publication
In 1994-95
I undertook a research project to identify the long term social, educational,
artistic and economic benefits arising as a result of government funded
community based arts projects. Supported by the federal arts funding body, the
Australia Council for the Arts, the study researched 89 projects that were
funded by the Council two years earlier. The resulting publication, Creating
Social Capital was released in February 1996. It details the findings and
demonstrates the links between the arts projects and the long term benefits.
Although
this study demonstrates that community based arts projects generate significant developmental outcomes, it has received
little response from community arts practitioners, community workers or policy
makers in Australia. I believe this is largely because of the current
conservative political climate affecting all areas of the public sector. It has
caused the down-sizing of government, privati
Consequently the indicators
for community cultural development receiving most attention from cultural
development workers and government alike, are those concerned with familiar
economic measures. More specifically economic measures linked to cultural
tourism strategies. These include: arts related employment or new enterprise
developments; multiplier effects from local festivals or arts events; and
retail growth as a result of arts focused urban redevelopment strategies. The
social, educational or cultural outcomes presented in Creating Social
Capital are receiving little emphasis or acknowledgment in favour of the
economic arguments.
The danger in pursuing
particular economic aspects of the work in the absence of a broader commitment
to the inter-relationship between the social, educational, cultural and
economic dynamics, is that the economic strategies alone are likely to fail to
deliver the expected results. Too many projects promising economic benefits and
delivering di
Community based arts
strategies ultimately succeed in generating sustainable economic outcomes when
they are supported within a broader cultural development focus incorporating
related social and cultural objectives. The catch is, that there is still no
evaluation framework for community cultural development that incorporates all
the related outcomes to inform the real financial and economic impact of the
work. Never has this task been more pressing than in the present Australian
economic and political climate.
How The Arts Measure Up draws on the findings presented in Creating Social
Capital, and links the indicators used in that study to key outcome areas
for community cultural development in Australia. It argues the critical link
between community culture and social cohesion and demonstrates how community
based arts programs are powerful catalysts for developing healthy, viable
communities. The ideas presented in the following pages are offered as a
contribution toward identifying that elusive framework for evaluating community
cultural development outcomes.
Debates about community
art; what it is, why it is important and how to assess its value, have abounded
in Australia for more than 20 years. Historically this work has been primarily
resourced through government arts funding programs. This has generated a
continuing problem in that community arts projects have been required to
demonstrate their value against the criteria of the relevant arts funding bodies.
As many community arts
practitioners have discovered, within a traditional, or fine arts policy
framework, you’re stuck with an agenda which, in both popular and professional
opinion, places community art at one end of a hierarchy, and opera at the
other. The value of community based arts production will always be severely
compromised while it is stuck in a fine arts paradigm.
To date it has proved
extremely difficult to get arts funding bodies to place community art in a
broader paradigm — community culture. This is not surprising considering the
difficulties in defining the term ‘culture’, or the implications for government
arts bodies in broadening their fine arts policy paradigm to encompass art in
community culture.
Community art is most
commonly known as the poor cousin in the art family or the naive newcomer to
the social work family. But community art is not concerned with social work as
we know it, nor is it focused on the production of art as a commodity, rather
the production of art as the expression of community culture. A sociological
definition of culture provides an ideal context for understanding the
importance of community cultural expression. In 1982 the Second World Conference
on Cultural Policy, in New Mexico, ratified the following statement on culture;
Culture ought to be
considered today the collection of distinctive traits, spiritual and material,
intellectual and affective, which characterise a society or social group. It
comprises, besides arts and letters, modes of life, human rights, value
systems, traditions and beliefs. [i]
This view of culture
provides a starting point to explore the importance of community culture within
a nation. And more specifically within a pluralistic contemporary society. This
view of culture emphasises the importance of expressing community values,
creating a sense of place, gaining new insights and learning new ways of doing
things.
...the sociological
conception of culture possesses a number of qualities which are relevant to the
process of development and the future. Anyone who is involved in a community,
national or international activity will be immediately aware of the enormous
importance of values, patterns, themes, symbols and behavioral characteristics
for development. In many ways, the challenge of development is to reinforce
values, patterns and themes which are working, but equally as important if not
more important, to change values, patterns and themes which are not
working. 2
The pace of change in the
word today demands new ways of thinking, new patterns of behavior and new value
systems. Often the old answers and even the old questions are no longer
adequate. For many, the education gained as a young person is no longer
sufficient to ensure the capacity to interact effectively with society, find
employment or generate income. Global migration means that the cultural values
and practices many people grew up with, are now blended or co-existing with numerous
different cultures within the
Often those who find
themselves in situations of substantial social change are also expected to shed
the cultural perspective that gave their lives meaning and direction and adopt
a ‘new’ cultural perspective. When faced with this type of social displacement,
many people retreat into the periphery of society, becoming despondent, passive
and self disparaging. The imposition of social change along with the
denigration of the values or lifestyles which gave life meaning and structure
can also produce hostility as often as it does apathy.
What we can do for
ourselves depends on what we know of ourselves. Social isolation, despondency
and poor self esteem all work against the likelihood of self discovery and
greater self determination — for individuals, communities and nations.
Collaborative artistic
practice at community level is a potent forum for communication of ideas and
values. In the quest for seeking new ways forward the arts can draw on the
intuitive, the non-rational, the mythical and the symbolic, and can be a powerful
tool for cutting through existing patterns of thought and behaviors.
The value
of community art is in its expression of community culture, as part of the
culture of wider society. In this arena community art becomes a part of the
process of community cultural development — a process concerned with fostering
an environment in which cultural democracy can occur. This process recognises
the importance of community as fundamental to cultural expression, along with
the space for social interaction and resources for artistic production. It
values community artistic expression as an important way in which communities:
can create a sense of place; affirm their values; assert their differences; and
communicate their aspirations.
It sees collaborative artistic
production as a powerful vehicle for experiential learning and appreciation of
other value systems. It does not over emphasise the value of art as artifact or
concentrate on fashionable elite notions of specific artistic form. It sees the
value of art residing in the present and in how it directly adds value to, or
creates meaning in people’s lives. This could be things such as; the importance
or clarity of what is communicated through the art work; whose voices or
stories are heard; and whose values are embraced within the art work. In
other words, the relationship between the art work and the living context in
which it was conceived and to which it relates.
In a Western contemporary
culture, these activities are an essential addition to, and antidote for, the
passive relationship with homogenous popular culture emanating from the
commercial media. Community cultural expression provides people with the
opportunity to communicate individualism, eccentricity, diversity and
inspirational example. It is also a process through which people — communities
— can use artistic expression to challenge social norms, mobilise for, or
resist change. It provides room for people to participate in artistic
communication as well as spectate. It is an essential and powerful way in which
people build and rebuild community, release creative energy and transform
minds, organi
In 1994 the Community
Cultural Development Unit of the Australia Council for the Arts supported a
national study to examine the long term value of 89 community based arts
projects they had funded in 1991. The study tested social, educational,
artistic and economic outcome indicators, commonly accepted by community art
practitioners and government arts funding bodies, as describing the long term
value of the work.
The study included a survey
of 109 community participants from public funded community based arts projects,
plus 123 community members who had observed the projects. It asked people to
rate the long term value of the project for their community. It found that the
communities concerned could demonstrate distinct links between the impact of
the arts projects and lasting social, educational, economic and artistic
outcomes.
The resulting publication, Creating
Social Capital, details the social, educational, economic and artistic
benefits that were evident, two years after community based arts projects. It
reveals that public funded community based arts projects were powerful
catalysts for community development and renewal as well as agents for
substantial individual development. Over all, respondents recorded positive
impact for each outcome area as follows:
96% recognised positive educational outcomes
94% recognised positive artistic outcomes
90% recognised positive social outcomes
72% recognised positive economic outcomes
The findings demonstrated
that the value of government funded community based arts projects and programs
was largely in terms of social or cultural impact, and influences several types
of outcome.:
• Building and developing communities
• Increasing social capital
• Activating social change
• Developing human capital
• Improving economic performance
The following chapters take
each of these outcome areas and examines why those outcomes are important and
how community based, collaborative arts projects can produce these results.
Community based,
collaborative arts programs and projects are highly effective in producing the
following social capital outcomes:
• Improved communication of
ideas and information
• Improved skills in planning and organising activities
• Improved understanding of different cultures or lifestyles
• Improved consultation between government and community
• Increased appreciation of community arts
One of the most valuable
activities we engage in as human beings is the business of creating and
maintaining social order. As social animals, these complex systems are crucial
to the process of living, reproducing and building communities, states and
nations. The business of creating group rules and processes of organi
Meaning and group values
are expressed through social interaction. Community, in all its forms, is about
the lives of people and how they construct meaning and build trust together. It
is the arena for living and expressing culture. The benefits derived from these
experiences have recently been described by several writers and researchers as
‘social capital’. The 1995 Australian Boyer Lectures, A Truly Civil Society,
presented by Eva Cox, examined the notion of social capital which she
described as being generated by:
...the processes between
people which establish networks, norms, social trust and facilitate
co-ordination and co-operation for mutual benefit. 3
This concept of social capital
sits beside the familiar concepts of financial capital, physical capital and
human capital. It describes the capacity for mutual cooperation towards the
collective well-being within a community or wider society.
Social capital is the
social glue, the weft and warp of the social fabric which comprises a myriad of
interactions that make up our public and private lives — our vita activa 4 ...the elements which increase social
capital are mainly based on interactions. They involve space, time, opportunities,
precedent and the valuing of process. We need the opportunities to interact
with a reasonably broad spread of people, and to build up a level of trust
through positive rather than negative experiences. 5
Drawing on the work of
American political scientist Robert Putnam6
, Cox argues that the social capital theory suggests that humans achieve more
by cooperating than competing, and that experiences which develop trust and a
discovery of common ground allow people to move from a defensive ‘I’ to a mutual
‘we’. She suggests that an over emphasis on competition and an undervaluing of
the time and opportunity to work co-operatively together, undermines the
capacity to build trust and common ground in our communities and in society.
Cox suggests that:
Trust should be defined as
inexhaustible because it is increased, rather than depleted by positive use.
The more we work together with others in environments which encourage
co-operation the more likely we are to trust others, and the occasional
failures of trust will be less damaging. Social capital is therefore increased
by use. It can be depleted by widespread lack of trust or by our own failure to
trust others. Without trust we avoid contact with others
because we fear betrayal.
This is the core component of social connections. 7
Putnam’s studies in
regional Italy offer statistical evidence that co-operation pays off socially,
bureaucratically and economically. He argues that if we can come to trust
others as we trust ourselves, prosperity and economic growth follow. 8 Governments that fail to invest in
developing social capital risk facing considerable expense caused by the
degeneration of the social fabric. Lack of trust and mutual understanding
generates fear and social withdrawal, an erosion of community leadership skills
and an absence of positive role models for community development.
Community based,
collaborative artistic production, as per the community arts model, is an
extraordinary catalyst for generating social capital. The process of group
artistic production relies on identifying common goals, group cooperation, and
effective communication of complex ideas. Competition is replaced with
collaboration and self interest is counter-balanced by group needs.
In line with Cox’s and
Putnam’s claims about how social capital is generated, Williams found in that
the long term benefits emanating from community based arts projects were
directly related to the impact of co-operation, trust and collaboration to
reach a common goal. This was most frequently described by the respondents as
developing a strong sense of group ownership in the project. It was most likely
to happen when there was a shared responsibility for achieving the project
aims. Group ownership was generated by an inclusive attitude to group
membership, openness to people’s ideas and sensitive leadership with a balance
between providing direction and consensual decision making. These ideas are
further elaborated in the following three case study extracts.
This case study is an
excellent example of the place for ritual and legend in expressing and
celebrating shared values and creating defining moments in the life of
communities. The project created a large-scale theatre event which brought
together community members from five small isolated towns within a remote rural
region of Tasmania. The intention was to generate a sense of regional identity
in the face of local government amalgamations, and to lift the spirit of the
community as the mining industry, the major source of employment, was in a
state of decline. The resulting play, Boomtown, told the story of a
fictitious mining town and its colorful and tenacious people who survived
through a boom-bust-boom cycle. It involved hundreds of people as cast and
crew, or as participants in a grand parade on opening night.
The
experience of working together
The project did indeed
significantly lift the spirit of the community and bond them in a difficult
time. The large scale of the event meant that residents had to work together
intensively. This experience generated a special energy as ordinary people
worked together, to make an extraordinary event. The most common phrase
participants used when reflecting on the experience was that ‘people came out
of the wood work’ to join in the preparations. The heightened levels of
activity led to three important insights: that people had talents that they
were previously unaware of; that they had created something more amazing than
what they had imagined possible, and what could be achieved in a spirit of
cooperation. Most communities only experience this intense cooperation and
focus on a large scale in times of di
It brought a lot of people
together who would not have otherwise come together. It wasn’t demanded of
them, we wanted to do it, get involved, that was what it inspired. Now it is a
story on its own, like the bushfires — and now ‘Boomtown’. You can’t remember other plays, but
‘Boomtown’, we all remember that! 9
Apart from the value in
creating a model of community cooperation, residents also
It showed the kids there is
more to life than football and violence, and that you can do things together as
a combined effort...to me they’re the long term benefits. 10
This project strengthened
the sense of a regional community, built networks of on-going value, generated
pride and confidence, uncovered local talent, bonded people in times of
hardship and demonstrated what a resourceful community they were. It was also a
great night of theatre! Respondents in this case study rated a positive
response to these social capital indicators as follows:
Improved
communication of ideas and information 100%
Improved skills in planning and organising activities 93%
Developed community identity 93%
This project involved young
people and police in a creative development process, and as performers in a
theatre/music production. The resulting production, Panic Stations, was
a large successful production, presented as part of Come Out, South
Australia’s biennial youth arts festival. A cast of around 30 young people and
five police officers presented a music - theatre promenade performance which
illustrated life in their community and the interaction between community and
the police.
Apart from being an
entertaining theatre production, the experience proved to be a catalyst for
moving from a confrontational to a co-operative relationship between young
people and police. The participants believed the creative process of the
project gave the young people and police an opportunity to relate to each other
as ordinary people. The workshop process used to create the performance
narrative required the group to develop a relaxed climate of trust. Through
games and improvised enactments of community issues, and putting themselves in
another person’s shoes, individuals moved past stereotyped ideas of ‘other’.
The young people got to experience being in the shoes of the police, the police
got to explore how powerless young people feel in the face of police authority.
One of the police officers involved commented:
The main value [of the
project] was the bridges that were built and the barriers that were broken
down....it built [young people’s] self esteem and it also established a rapport
with the officers who were involved. 11
Many of the young people
involved came from low socio-economic backgrounds, where attitudes towards the
police were negative, and interactions with a police officer usually meant
trouble. For these young people, finding themselves developing friendships with
police officers, feeling valued as a member of the creative team developing the
performance script, and gaining the skills to perform, was a potent mix.
Issues such as domestic
violence, teenage runaways, car stealing and personal identity were all grist
for the mill of the story line. Seeing the social education impact of the
project, other police in the region expressed interest in the project as a method
of improving their policing role. Members of the theatre company were invited
to present information sessions for other police officers, about the project’s
aims and working processes.
As with many other case
study examples, the participants felt that one of the major long term benefits
was the impact of the role model the project provided for the participants and
wider community. This was most clearly expressed as:
In the future those kids
might not go on to be politicians, but they might become leaders in their own
community as well as role models for other kids on the way. [The project] put a
foundation there for these kids, and a lot of self worth [which] they can build
on...12
Respondents
in this case study rated a positive response to these social capital indicators
as follows:
Improved understanding of different cultures or lifestyles 86%
Increased appreciation of community arts projects 93%
This project involved the
community in creating a mural on a factory wall in a suburban residential area
in Adelaide, South Australia. It was conceived and developed by a group of
residents concerned about the need to improve their suburban environment, and
motivate the local government council to develop a small allotment of vacant
land abutting the factory wall, into a community recreation reserve.
A mural
as catalyst to community empowerment
The mural project became a
focal point for discussion about local environmental and recreation issues, and
eventually a catalyst for community awareness raising. The mural, extending 150
metres in length, and up to 12 metres high at its apex, reflected images of
community, past and present, and depicted the recreational reserve the
residents aspired towards. With its portrayal of families enjoying a green and
peaceful park, neighbours chatting over fences while the postman cycles by, the
mural presented an illusion of extended landscape. The whole exercise generated
an enormous impact.
Although some of the more
politically active residents had attempted to negotiate with the local
government council regarding the need for a community reserve, past efforts had
fallen on deaf, and sometimes hostile ears. However, the high levels of
community involvement in the mural provided the time and focus for residents to
discuss their recreational and environmental aspirations together. The
combination of the impact of the mural, which was valued by residents and the
Council alike, plus the clearly articulated community voice, finally moved the
Council to consult with the residents over their ideas for a community reserve.
Approximately two years later the reserve was completed.
Participants believe that
the project was particularly valuable in generating a climate for mutual
cooperation between the local government council and the residents. This in
turn, forged a commitment to the longer term goals for the reserve and the
cooperative working relationships needed to achieve these goals. One of the
participants observed:
The project gave people a
structure, a way of doing things. You build unity through action, not by
talking ideals or abstracts. A good thing about community arts [projects] is
the action, it’s concrete....If you don’t have a project, you don’t have the
catalyst or focus. 13
Respondents in this case
study rated a positive response to these social capital indicators as follows:
Improved consultation between government and community 90%
Improved communication of ideas and information 95%
Increased appreciation of community arts 90%
INCREASING SOCIAL CAPITAL:
OVERALL RESULTS
Overall,
the case studies average positive results for these social capital indicators
were as follows:
Improved skills in communicating ideas and information 92%
Increased appreciation of community arts 92%
Improved skills in planning and organising activities 87%
Improved understanding of different cultures or lifestyles 80%
Improved consultation between government and community 64%
The national average
response to these indicators was consistent with the case study findings as
illustrated below.
Improved skills in communicating ideas and information 95%
Increased appreciation of community arts 94%
Improved skills in planning and organising activities 90%
Improved understanding of different cultures or lifestyles 80%
Improved consultation between government and community 64%
These results indicate that
community based arts projects and programs are effective ways to facilitate ...processes
between people which establish networks, norms, social trust and facilitate
co-ordination and co-operation for mutual benefit — Cox’s description of
what generates social capital.
Community based,
collaborative arts programs and projects are highly effective in producing the
following community development outcomes:
• Developed community identity
• Decreased social isolation
• Improved recreational options
• Developed local enterprise
• Improved public facilities
Before examining how
community based arts programs and projects can produce these outcomes, it is
important to reconsider the value of ‘community’, as a fundamental unit of
society.
The term ‘community’ enjoys
periods of popularity and periods of being distinctly out of fashion with
government agencies and politicians. In the arts in Australia, the idea of
‘community’ has never held great currency, (although ‘audience’ and ‘general
public’ are very powerful concepts). In general, the term ‘community’ as a
prefix in areas of activity such as community arts, community health, adult and
community education, means it will enjoy a low status with government and be
poorly resourced. There are a number of reasons why this value judgement
persists, but one very valid reason is, that all community based methods of
working — in health, law, arts and economic reform — operate in a reverse order
to the top down system of government.
Advocates of public systems
using community based or participatory methods of working, argue the need for a
more balanced approach from government, in the way that they develop and
support social systems. These advocates believe an over reliance on top down
systems of government destroys or oppresses much that is valuable and essential
to maintaining social harmony and fostering self determination. Community based
professionals in numerous disciplines believe that a greater investment in
community based systems, which operate in a cooperative relationship with
government, have the capacity to build and enrich communities and society. The
results they argue, although taking a little longer to manifest, act as an
effective preventative measure to many of the negative outcomes from the social
disintegration being experienced in many Western countries. Things such as
homelessness, unemployment, disintegration of family units and networks, drug
dependency and street violence. Governments, primarily concerned with ‘bottom
line’ economics and short election terms rarely have time for, or are motivated
to explore, alternative methods of working and the rewards they might offer.
Regardless of government
trends and party politics the reality of community is constant and critically
important in everybody’s lives. For most people ‘community’ isn’t a concept, it
is a lived experience that gives their lives structure, meaning and value.
Community is that entity to
which one belongs, greater than kinship but more immediate than the abstraction
we call ‘society’. It is the arena in which people acquire their most
fundamental and most substantial experience of social life outside the confines
of home...community is where one learns and continues to practice how to be
‘social’...it is where one acquires ‘culture’. 14
The need to perceive
community, experience community, and feel a sense of belonging in a community,
is essential to individual well-being and to our systems of social organi
In Creating Social
Capital, a participant in a case study project involving an Aboriginal
school in central Australia observed that:
These are living and
learning experiences. People don’t have concepts of (the school as) community.
They live it — they live it and they remember it. 15
Participation in community
life, is far more than a quaint, warm fuzzy concept, it is an essential
experience of a ‘system of value, norms and moral codes which provide a sense
of identity within a bounded whole to its members’. 16
Diverse community life
increases the opportunity for exposure to, and participation in numerous communities,
thus increasing understandings of the world of human experience. As the human
population base grows larger so too does the need for strong community culture.
This observation is well described by Cohen in The Symbolic Construction of
Community:
As government becomes
bigger and more remote from the constituent elements of society; as economics
appears to become increasingly centralised and institutionalised, so it loses
credibility and relevance as a referent of people’s identity... the scale of
such government means that it has to operate at an extraordinarily high level
of generality or in response to very particular or powerful interests. In both
cases, the vast majority of people are going to feel under-represented and
inadequately understood. They may even feel deliberately excluded. As a result,
they become politically introspective and reach back to a more convincing level
of society with which to identify. ...The suggestion is, then, that people
assert community, whether in the form of ethnicity or locality, when they
recognise in it the most adequate medium for the expression of their whole
selves. 17
Community therefore, is
firstly a fundamental element in the experience and expression of culture.
Secondly, people understand culture through their experience of community,
which is most powerfully expressed through myth, tradition and ritual. And
thirdly, if culture embodies a system of values, norms and moral codes, then
art is one of the most powerful ways in which those values are communicated.
Some examples of these ideas in action are presented in the following three
case study extracts from Creating Social Capital.
Yipirinya is a bilingual,
bicultural Aboriginal School in Alice Springs, Central Australia. It is an
independent school run by a council of Aboriginal elders who represent the town
camp community and its four language groups. All the children at the school are
Aboriginal and approximately 90% have English as a second language. The school
has had a monumental struggle to become registered and receive government
funding, plus there is a great deal of poverty within the town camp community
which is exacerbated by the huge cultural gap between Western and Indigenous
cultures. The transient lifestyle and degree of alcohol dependency within the
town camp community, further contribute to the Yipirinya children’s juggling
act in gaining a Western education and finding a pathway in life which can
encompass two cultural perspectives.
The school sought and
attracted funding from the Australia Council for the Arts for a team of three
artists to work for a number of weeks with the students and teachers. During
the project the whole school became involved in developing and presenting a
huge outdoor music/dance/theatre event. The final night time performance was a
moving and powerful celebratory event which generated deep feelings of pride
and sense of identity within the school. Reflections on the project from the
participants included these observations:
Yipirinya has had a
struggle and the people have a struggle to live and survive...I think [through
this event] we
It reinforced the
philosophy of the school to outsiders and to insiders. It also helped us to
see, “Yes, this is what we’re on about”, and believe in that philosophy, or we
wouldn’t be here...
It created a feeling of
unity by bringing the whole school together from the children to the staff, and
presented a united front which was genuine...18
The rehear
Part of the reconciliation
process requires the Western acceptance and understanding [of] and deeper
respect for Aboriginal cultural values. This [bicultural] educational model is
very significant in this process...but it’s not just the Aboriginal people
learning Western ways, its the other way round as well. It’s hard for Western
culture to understand those things. 19
The whole experience also
had a particularly positive impact on the children. Aboriginal children are
frequently shy and wary of performing publicly. This unique experience of whole
community performance generated an enthusiasm which overcame their usual
reticence. As a result, the public approval, successful risk taking and
enjoyable team work experiences left feelings of increased self esteem and
confidence. This generated a willingness to approach new experiences including
greater interaction with the non Aboriginal community.
Parents watching their
children perform spectacularly in front of a large non-Aboriginal audience,
This project involved a
group of Spanish speaking women writers, who came together to write a play. The
women, from Spain, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, were active writers in their
native country, and since arriving in Australia had been socially isolated,
largely due to a poor command of the English language. Apart from creating a
play, El Ca
The process of developing
the play script meant that the women, who lived in different geographic
communities within Sydney, had to liaise between workshop sessions to discuss
character and story line development. They tapped into each other’s cultural
backgrounds and experiences as migrants. The intensity of the creative process
built trust and respect within the group around their shared values and life
experiences. The participants explained:
We became more friendly
because we shared parts of our lives...sometimes there are parts of your life
that you don’t share with other people. But in that project it was everybody
throwing emotions and experiences in and sharing them together...
I didn’t feel alone [any
more] because all the time I’d felt alone — in the car, on the train, even if I
went out with people — I felt alone...because I couldn’t express myself...
The most valuable
experience was to show other people — Australian people — how we live, where we
come from and where we are now... 20
The public readings and
performance of the play brought the women into contact with numerous other
people interested in who they were and what they had achieved. The stories in
the play presented insights into many of their collective experiences as women
migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds. The public voice and
recognition of their views, was a powerful experience and one which created new
social networks and a greater sense of belonging to many different communities.
In this case study respondents recorded positive value ratings to these community
development indicators as follows:
Improved understanding of different cultures and lifestyles 100%
Established networks of on-going value 92%
The project involved the
community working with an artist and landscape architect, to design and create
landscaping and artworks around their community centre. Upon completion the
centre was surrounded with a beautiful landscaped garden, with play areas for
children, ceramic tile pathways and verandahs, small sculptures nestling into
the garden, a stunning sculptured fence, plus a community vegetable patch and
orchard. As the community centre was situated in a low socio-economic area,
this transformation created quite an impact. Many residents in the area are
transient, in search of work and affordable housing. For those taking part,
working collaboratively to complete such an inspiring project, generated a
strong sense of self esteem and group pride. It also generated confidence in the
knowledge that they could achieve something significant by working together.
The participants believe
the experience of coming together to contribute to creating a community
facility, brought residents out to meet each other and provided them with
something in common to focus on. It created a symbol for what they could
achieve together and communicated this to others, both within and outside their
community. In this case study respondents recorded positive value ratings to
these community development indicators as follows:
Improved public facilities 92%
Developed local enterprise 71%
These case study
experiences were consistent throughout the study. Over all case studies,
average results for these community development indicators were as follows:
Developed community
identity 86%
Decreased social
isolation 74%
Improved recreational options 74%
Developed local enterprise 47%
Improved public facilities 47%
This trend was also
reflected in the national findings, with the national average response to these
indicators being consistent with the case study findings as illustrated below.
Developed community
identity 90%
Decreased social isolation 86%
Improved recreational options 77%
Developed local enterprise 48%
Improved public facilities 50%
In periods
of reducing government support for public services and an increasing reliance
on market forces to produce solutions, there is a greater need for communities
to find new ways express their collective values and to address their
employment, education, health and housing issues. Those communities without a
strong community culture, with poor community structures and networks, who have
no voice to articulate their beliefs and values, with weak community leadership
and no skills in working collaboratively are also likely to be the most
disadvantaged.
Community arts projects are
catalysts for expressing alternative views of groups and communities and for
driving social change. Community based arts projects commonly produce the
following outcomes:
• Raised public awareness of an issue
• Inspired action on a social issue
• Improved understanding of different cultures or lifestyles
• Generated employment
• Increased public
The processes of creating
or strengthening communities, and developing social capital, frequently
generate the desire for social change. While governments work to improve social
systems, their motivation usually comes as a response to community opinion.
Community opinion however, is largely a concept, a perception of the
dominant beliefs, and strongly influenced by the dominant cultural values. Culture
is about the creation of meaning, and in a non-interventionist, or market
economy, the control of meaning will be in those sections of society with the
most resources, and they will naturally control meaning to their own advantage.
So social change will be most influenced by those with the most powerful
‘voice’.
Community cultural
expression is an essential component in the evolution and expression of
a national culture. The greater our exposure to other views of the world of
human experience, the better we understand ourselves as individuals,
communities and societies: open and diverse cultural expression enables a broad
range of views and beliefs to be communicated. As population grows, social
organi
It is at a community level
that diversity can flourish, where new views can arise to effect change or
challenge established views. Community culture plays a key role in fostering
cultural diversity, it is a fundamental element in the expression of cultural
values, and social interaction is a requirement for this expression to occur.
Community based,
collaborative artistic expression is one of the most powerful ways that
cultural diversity is expressed and community values communicated. Community
arts projects are highly effective in communicating ideas and information
and increasing awareness and understanding of different cultures and
lifestyles, two of the indicators already discussed in this
paper.
Community arts projects can
also be powerful catalysts for driving social change. The following two case
study extracts demonstrate examples of these concepts at work.
This project was a group
developed theatre performance by a group of women ex-offenders, exploring
issues of drug abuse, imprisonment and social isolation. The production led to
a remarkable chain of events: educating school children, parents, prison
officers and magistrates on issues of drug addiction; and irrevocably changing
the lives of the participants.
The group, now a company
called Somebody’s Daughter, was made up of women in various stages of
post-release from Fairlea Women’s Prison in Melbourne. The group had formed
strong working relationships with the project artists through involvement in
workshops and performances at Fairlea, over a ten year period prior to this
project. The formation of a group outside of prison walls had been a long held
dream of the women. This project was to be the reali
The project had very clear
aims which included: artistic development for the women in the group;
empowerment of a di
The production told the
real stories of the women in the group: how drug addiction had led them to
imprisonment; how they had to make a choice about what they wanted from their lives;
how this sometimes meant losing friendships; and how some people aren’t able to
overcome their addiction.
It also told of the
difficulties of readjustment on release from prison and provided insights into
the life issues which contributed to the women becoming drug dependant and
imprisoned. The production’s undeniable truths told simply through the story of
four main characters made an unforgettable experience for the audiences. School
children who tuned out in drug education sessions, became caught up in the
characters’ stories and learned much that they would not normally hear.
The educational value of
the stories they had to tell, was not only for young people, but also for
parents and others working with drug dependant people. One group member
observed.
It was really good for
people who are connected with addicts in some way, to have a look at what
really goes on, because with their own children there’s too much pain [to be
able to see clearly]. 21
The value of the project in
delivering a drug education mes
The performance also
challenged stereotyped ideas and the labeling of people as criminals or drug
addicts. The women were well aware how being labeled can keep people stuck in a
phase of their life. One woman commented:
For us, it was an
opportunity to use our skills to reach a lot of people and [try] to break down
some of those stereotyped beliefs...We haven’t got two heads — we’re normal
everyday human beings. You know 80% of women go to prison because of drug
related offences. But when did their sentence start? Usually way back when they
are in their early teens or being abused as children. People need to know that.
22
The group was invited to
perform and facilitate workshop discussions for a training program, Working
With Women Prisoners. They also performed for an audience of 40 magistrates.
The script was selected in
Another educational benefit
that nobody had anticipated, related to the children of the women who had been
in prison. These children participated in the art workshops with their mums.
During chance conver
The project also had
enormous long term beneficial social outcomes for the women in the group. The
value of a strong sense of group belonging, developing self esteem, coming to
terms with personal unacknowledged trauma, gaining public acceptance for who
they are and for four members of the group, overcoming heroin addiction,
literally changed people’s lives.
I don’t think I anticipated
the benefits [in terms of drug addiction] would be so marked because of how
hard it is to give up. But to see the profound effect on four people, it was
huge. I was stunned at that, and frightened in a way too, because it appalls me
to see how little is required. 23
This project had an huge
ripple effect, in what it had to
Following its
In this case study
respondents recorded positive value ratings to these social change indicators
as follows:
Raised public awareness of an issue 100%
Lessened social isolation 100%
Inspired action on a social issue 95%
The farm is situated on the
banks of the Yarra river in inner-city
The project aimed to:
develop community participation in a planning and design process for the farm;
create opportunities for the community to express their vision for the site;
and secure a management focus for the farm’s future.
Three consultants, an
artist and two landscape architects, were employed to facilitate a community
consultation and develop design plans for the site. The participants believe
that the major long term benefit of the project was the validation of the
farm’s management style, gaining a clear direction for its future and the
ability to confidently articulate this vision. One of the group observed:
It’d always been a bit of a
mystery how the farm came to be such a lovely place without any professional
people actually making it that way. Clarifying some of that mystery and how
things could be changed without destroying that, was an important part of the
project. 24
As a result of the
educational experience of working with the project consultants, the staff and
committee not only gained confidence in what they already knew about the farm,
they also learned a great deal about environmental design principles and
language. They could now talk about the principles and values of the farm site
in a convincing way.
Inspired by their new found
confidence and good ideas, the farm management set about developing some key
sites on the farm, the first being the main entrance way. During this exercise
they had to work co-operatively with local government council engineers, who
were skeptical of the farm’s environmentally friendly approach to the site
management, their technical ability, and the incorporation of artworks into the
construction. By the end of the gateway project the council engineers were
on-side and supportive of the farm’s management approach, and interested in
some of the ideas and methods they had been introduced to. A group member
observed:
Council
The farm provided an
excellent example of an alternative approach to creative design for public
facilities which the council’s community arts officer, with support from the
engineers, used to inspire several new council projects to improve other public
facilities.
The short story here is,
that since this project, the farm has continued to develop and grow stronger
and has managed to prevent short sighted urban development destroying this
unique asset. This is a major achievement as the land is considered by many as
much too valuable in a monetary sense, for such recreational and educational
activities. The farm committee have sought and won further funding based on
their successful track record of innovative creative development. They have
managed to move their position from one of underdog in the eyes of government
agencies, to that of a model of a well informed, well managed, valuable public
asset, named by the State government as one of the features making Melbourne a
livable city.
This project not only
significantly improved the farm’s management efficiency and influenced
government’s attitudes towards a community facility, it also was a major factor
in preserving the farm for present and future generations to enjoy.
In this case study
respondents recorded positive value ratings to these social change indicators
as follows:
Improved planning and design for public spaces 100%
Inspired action on a social issue 75%
Improved understanding of different cultures or lifestyles. 75%
4.4 ACTIVATING SOCIAL CHANGE: OVERALL RESULTS
Community arts projects
which set out to achieve a social change outcome were very successful in
producing the positive results they aimed for. Over all case studies, the
average positive results for these social change indicators were as follows:
Raised public awareness of an issue 88%
Inspired action on a social issue 62%
Improved understanding of different cultures or lifestyles 80%
Generated employment 49%
Increased public
The
national average response to these indicators was consistent with the case
study findings as illustrated below.
Raised public awareness of an issue 90%
Inspired action on a
social issue 57%
Improved understanding of different cultures or lifestyles 82%
Generated employment 45%
Increased public
These results validate the
impact of artistic expression in creating social and cultural change from a
community base. This impact can be experienced at a local, regional or national
level as illustrated by the two examples above. The findings from Creating
Social Capital, illustrate the strong link between, community, culture and
social change. According to Cohen, community is a phenomenon of culture and is
meaningfully constructed by people through their creativity, symbolic prowess
and resources:
The myth of inevitable
conformity suggests that the outward spread of cultural influences from the
centre will make communities on the periphery less like their former selves —
will dissipate their distinctive cultures...These culturally imperialistic
influences will move outwards along the tracks of mass media, of mass
information, of spreading infrastructure, of mass production, national
marketing and consumerism, ushering in a monolithic culture which will
transform behaviour. ...[These views] assume that people can have their culture
stripped away...they assume people are somehow passive in relation to culture: ..they
receive it, transmit it, but do not create it...[These views] ignore the
indigenous creativity with which communities work on externally imposed change.
26
The degree to which
communities can work creatively to counteract unwanted externally imposed
change, depends on the resources at their dispo
One of the major residual
benefits from community based, collaborative artistic production is in
developing human capital. The following indicators are common human capital
outcomes from community arts projects:
• Improved communication skills
• Increased ability in planning and organising
• Increased problem solving skills
• Improved ability to collect, organise and analyse information
• Developed creative talents
Before examining the human
capital outcomes from community arts projects in more detail, it is important
to explore the concept of ‘learning for human development’. This concept starts
with the recognition of the essential life long learning experiences we
undertake as social beings in a changing world. It proposes that as people
develop their potential, they encounter two types of life learning — or
learning for human development. They are firstly, the learning neces
...human beings change as
they grow — they have different questions of meaning; society and culture
change and their questions change with those changes; experiences change and the
questions emerge yet again. 27
These changes can be
because of life events being encountered or various life stages, and it can
also engage different focal points or reference points for learning. In Approaches
to Adult Education for Human Development, Willis 28 suggests
that there are four major focal points:
Personal, relating to a
personal sense of self; Ecological,
relating as a biological being in the eco-environment; Social, relating to life as an individual
linked or opposed to others in social relationship; Political: relating to life as a member of
gender, race or class groups, linked or opposed to other groups.
These points are further
elaborated:
The personal: Awareness at this level of consciousness turns
people’s attention to the way they construct themselves as persons: how they
take on or discard habits of thought and action.
The ecological: Awareness at the ecological focus point of
consciousness is when people think of themselves as ecological beings, engaging
with the material universe, in which they create and which enriches or
restrains their opportunities and choices. Ecological consciousness is also
linked to environmental consciousness which turns people’s attention to the way
they occupy space and shelter, consume food and oxygen, shape the natural
environment by [their activities and production]
The social: Awareness at this focus point of consciousness turns
people’s attention to the way they are located in and affected by existing
social relationships and how they create and engage in new ones.
The political: Awareness at this focal point of consciousness turns
people’s attention to the way they are located in and affected by existing
political groupings and the inequalities between them. It can also involve
reflection on how these relationships are created, the morality of the
inequality between such political groups and how they can be made more
equitable. 29
Learning for human
development is a vital and complementary learning experience to traditional
education. Traditional education is about transferring information, values,
skills and disciplines that will maintain the present order of society.
Learning for human development helps people critically evaluate and gain
greater personal insights and understanding of the world around them. It also
develops the confidence and skills to be an active participant in that world.
Aspirations for social transformation are born as people come to see their
potential as ‘creators for culture, history and an alternative social vision.’ 30
[There is a] distinction,
but not dichotomy, between education to meet economic development goals and
education to meet individual and social development goals. [The goal of
education for social development] at a personal level, is to enhance one’s
understanding of and control over some aspect of the life environment. At a
community level, it is to enhance the quality of community life and the
capacity of adults to operate competently as citizens of the body politic, and
as members of family and community groups. 31
In Creating Social
Capital, Williams found that community based arts projects were catalysts
for experiential learning. The types of learning experiences that participants
described, closely relate to the renewal, critical reflection and
transformation experiences which characterise learning for human development.
Williams found that the
learning for human development outcomes generated through community based arts
projects were influenced by four major impacts.
• The impact of experiential learning — seeing something differently
• The impact of defining or re-defining — knowing what is meaningful
• The impact of finding a voice — naming what is important
• The impact of knowing how to take action — making the changes needed
When combined, these
impacts represent the experiences of critical reflection, renewal and
transformation. In all case study projects, participants recounted examples of
groups of people developing new skills and understandings. These were generated
through experiential learning, critical reflection and in articulating shared
values, new insights or visions for the future. Case study respondents were
also able to describe how their projects inspired further social or community
action towards a shared goal. A selection of three case study examples follow.
During this project,
members of the community, the farm management committee members and the staff
engaged in creative workshops in an attempt to articulate the essential
qualities or values they felt were embodied in the farm. As a result of these
experiences, the participants’ knowledge of the site and the values it embodied
for them were reaffirmed. Through the process they also reflected on their role
in preserving the site and protecting it from unwanted development. Together
the staff and management committee learned more effective language to describe
their vision for the farm. This counter balanced existing power relationships
and enhanced communication with government bodies who could either assist them
or undermine them in their vision for the farm’s future. A participant
reflected that since the project:
We have a much stronger
sense of our ability to determine our own future — in terms of the value of
what we’re doing, how we’re managing the land, and the value of the services
we’re providing. It’s also given us the confidence to deal with external forces
that seem to come in a never ending stream, wanting to change the farm. 32
In this case study
respondents recorded a positive value rating to the following human capital
indicators:
Improved
communication skills 88%
Increased ability in planning and organising 88%
Improved ability to collect, organise and analyse information 76%
Increased problem solving skills 75%
Case Study: Residents Mural
Project (2)
The project engaged
residents in the process of designing and applying a mural on a large factory
wall overlooking a residential area. Participants believed that through this
project, they began to see the social and political issues affecting their
recreational and environmental needs quite differently. They began to realise
that their community had suffered the pollution that had come with various
industries, and as these industries went, the pollution had stayed on in their
lives. They began to recognise that the site they were working on was a form of
passive pollution, which through the mural, they converted into a thing of
beauty for their community. As people got involved they realised they could
effect real change towards a preferred future, different from that on offer
from their local government authority. One participant summed the learning
experience as:
The mural project showed
people that you can make things happen for your community without neces
This project also provided
the opportunity for some key people to learn and develop skills in applying for
arts funding, political campaigning, community consultation, and in public
presentation of information. The reaffirmation of their values, coupled with
new skills, forged the way for the community to establish a co-operative working
partnership with council and achieve their vision for a recreational reserve.
In this case study respondents recorded a positive value rating to the
following human capital indicators:
Improved
communication skills 95%
Increased ability in planning and organising 95%
Developed creative talents 90%
Improved ability to collect, organise and analyse information 75%
Increased problem solving skills 72%
This project was an
extraordinary catalyst for human capital outcomes. For the participants, the
project was a major life altering influence. Working through creative
workshops, the women were able to reflect on the life experiences which had led
them to being imprisoned, and all the associated trauma and inequities these
experiences held. One young woman observed the impact on her:
[Just] having a voice [in
theatre]...I was speaking for so many people and that was a real privilege, and
in the beginning really, really hard...I didn’t have a voice my whole life and
I felt I wasn’t worth anything. I was just a junkie...Since then I haven’t used
drugs. So much has happened since then. I have a different life, I speak differently,
my politics are different. I didn’t even know who I was then. I’m not
The creative workshop
process required the women to reflect back on their experiences, and share
these often painful memories with the group. Through this process of reflection
and analysis, the women were able to develop other perspectives of their
experiences which escalated them out of a cycle of confusion, self loathing and
despair. All the participants
These are our experiences
in life and we do want to be somebody who can speak out about them and not
remain a victim to them: the sexual abuse, the drug use, the institutionali
The director summed up the
impact of the project on the participants in this comment:
In the end, people are only
empowered if they [act] for themselves — while they’ve got someone talking for
them they don’t move on. 36
In this case study
respondents recorded a positive value rating to the following human capital
indicators:
Improved communication skills 95%
Increased ability in planning and organising 94%
Improved ability to collect, organise and analyse information 82%
Increased problem solving skills 88%
Developed creative talents 94%
It would seem likely that
regardless of what community arts projects set out to achieve they are very
successful in developing human capital. Over all case studies, the average
positive results for these human capital indicators were as follows:
Improved communication
skills 92%
Increased ability in planning and organising 86%
Improved ability to collect, organise and analyse information 80%
Increased problem solving skills 74%
Developed creative talents 91%
5.6 NATIONAL SURVEY OVERALL RATINGS
The national average
response to these indicators was consistent with the case study findings as
illustrated below.
Improved
communication skills 95%
Increased ability in planning and organising 90%
Improved ability to collect, organise and analyse information 86%
Increased problem solving skills 82%
Developed creative talents 93%
The group interaction
inherent in community based arts projects provided the opportunity for people
to gain wider social perspectives and helped them clarify their thoughts and/or
decide what action they wanted to take. The action could relate to their own
needs, that of a particular group or community or the broader society. The
process of reflection is often most effective when done in a cooperative creative
group environment, as generated in community based arts projects. In this
environment members are more able to challenge ‘commonsense assumptions’ and
other internalised social and cultural values from different perspectives.
Although creating art through
a collaborative process may be the group goal, the meaning this experience has
for individuals will differ. The group may use the learning experience to
challenge social structures or reaffirm commitment to shared values. For
individuals the learning experience might generate the impetus for significant
life change or provide the skills and insights to advance their work or
personal life goals. However it is put to use, in these times of rapid social,
economic and industrial change, the human capital generated by participating in
these arts projects is a rich resource.
Existing economic
indicators are inadequate for measuring the value of artistic activity or
community cultural development. What is the monetary value of a cohesive
community for example, or a high level of social capital? The inadequacy of the
dominant economic indicators, along with governments that require the arts to
be justified in economic terms, frequently causes one or both of the following
responses: to try to make a convincing case for how arts activity meets
government economic imperatives; or to dismiss those economic policies as
irrelevant. Eva Cox makes this observation about the current Australian trend
to argue artistic activity in the context of industry, in an attempt to relate
to government economic imperatives.
...The arts industry — note
the word — feels compelled to justify its funding by pointing to its capacity
to employ people, its export potential, and even its capacity as a marketing
tool to promote a national identity. These justifications neutralise any
opposition from Treasury and Finance. They make the bean counters feel secure.
However the emphasis on industry undermines our capacity to see the arts as an area
where we explore creativity for its own
The second option mentioned
above, that of withdrawing or dismissing the argument, fails to generate or
feed a more enlightened debate neces
In public debate, the most
common response is to try to counterpoise human, social or environmental
perspectives to the economic — the argument that ‘economics is not everything’,
or that we have other policy objectives, such as social justice, which must be
set against economic imperatives. But this strategy leaves us as supplicants...
Economists have
successfully established their self-definition; an economist is one who speaks
rationally about the production and distribution of material welfare. The rest
of us are special pleaders or merely represent vested interests.
The transformation of
economic theory into theology has had the effect of bludgeoning everyone except
business representatives and economists into silence. But it is precisely this
question of what is left out of the dominant definitions of what counts as ‘the
economy’ which needs our attention. This question is a more strategic one than
the attempt to down play the significance of the economy vis a vis other equally
abstract conceptions of society or social values. 38
Answers to the question, what
is left out of the dominant definitions of what counts as the economy?, would
include among many others: environmental conservation; peace; unpaid labour;
artistic activity; as well as social capital, community development,
enlightened social change, and human capital as described in earlier chapters
of this paper. But why are these things left out of the indicators or
definitions of what counts as the economy? The economy isn’t a thing that
exists as a whole, it is merged with social, cultural and political activities.
All economic policies and economic solutions have underlying social values. The
challenge is to draw attention to the limits of the value system underpinning
the economic frameworks of our times. Economic imperatives are informed by the
dominant cultural and political values, not the other way around. When the
present economists decide to fight inflation first, they have made a social
decision that they are not interested in the human costs of the unemployment
they create.
The debate about what is
left out of economic indicators, is not fixed in economic theory, it is fixed
in the dominant social and cultural values, and change will ultimately be
motivated by political will. Creative expression at community level is one way
for articulating the cultural values people want enshrined in public policy,
and want reflected in economic frameworks.
Not withstanding the
problems in measuring the economic value of community based arts projects,
Williams found that survey respondents could identify many links between the
impact of community arts projects, and the economic indicators that were
provided. These indicators were primarily concerned with cost
People who
considered that cost
Improved consultation between government and community 66%
Improved planning for or design of public spaces 46%
Improved developing public facilities 50%
Prevention of crime 38%
Most
projects in the study
For example the Inner City
Children’s Farm case study described in earlier chapters, recorded extremely
high positive responses to the following indicators for cost
Improved consultation between government and community 75%
Improved
planning for or design of public spaces 100%
Improved developing public facilities 75%
The Women Ex-offenders
Theatre Company case study also previously described, recorded positive
responses to indicators concerned with social issues relating to the incidence
of criminal behaviour, or the process of rehabilitation
Prevented crime 70%
Led to employment 88%
Developed local enterprise 70%
All the case study projects
examined in Creating Social Capital were effective in attracting
resources for community cultural development outcomes. The vast majority of
community based arts projects, typified by those surveyed in the study, operate
predominantly on a voluntary basis. This means that the outcomes being
delivered by this work, and described in this paper, are largely generated as a
result of unpaid labour. Within the current economic frameworks this
productivity is invisible and consequently not counted.
Secondary to this, is the volume
of resources supplied on an in-kind basis as sponsorship. This typically
includes things such as: loaned equipment; donated materials; loaned vehicles;
free publicity, or sponsorship in the form of discounted services, and donated
professional services in accounting, law or technical services, for example.
Within the current economic frameworks these services are invisible and
consequently not counted as business investments in community based arts
production.
Apart from developing
artistic talents and inspiring further work of artistic merit, community based
arts projects also generate support for and appreciation of the traditional or
the fine arts . When asked if their exposure to the community arts project had
increased their appreciation of the arts, 85% of Creating Social Capital
respondents believed that it had. This level of positive impact was consistent
for the project participants (89%) as well as the community observers (81%).
Around half of those who developed a greater appreciation believed they had
attended more theatre, exhibitions or arts events, or bought more art, craft or
books as a result. Within the current economic frameworks the capacity to
expand markets for artistic product is invisible and not counted.
A successful project is
likely to have a considerable impact in generating support for the arts,
locally and further afield. Many community based arts projects generate high
levels of participation in artistic workshops and performance, or as audiences,
volunteers and local sponsors, positively affecting participants and the wider
community, in favour of the arts. Approximately 60% of respondents believed
that the impact of the community arts project in question generated further
support for community arts projects from other stakeholders.
Within the current economic
frameworks this capacity to attract increased investment in the arts is
invisible and not counted.
Overwhelmingly, respondents
In short, Creating
Social Capital found that successful community based arts projects were
effective at generating new arts markets, attracting non-arts funding and
sponsorship to employ artists to work with communities, and attracting
significant levels of business investment in the form of donated goods and
services.
Over all, the national
survey recorded an average positive response to these indicators for the arts
economy as follows
Developed further
work of artistic merit 90%
Increased
Attracted further resources for community arts projects 61%
Increased appreciation of the arts 85%
Williams found that there
were several factors influencing a successful outcome for community based arts
projects and generating long term benefits such as discussed in this paper.
A creative arts focus: maintaining a
creative arts focus to cultural development projects.
Clear outcomes: clearly stated
outcomes for all aspects of the project covering all stakeholder perspectives.
Successful risk taking: support for
participants to set and achieve artistic and social challenges .
Cooperation and trust: creating a climate
of group ownership, trust and co-operation.
Artistic collaboration: artists working as
collaborators in achieving all the project goals.
Pride in the result: generating a sense
of group pride in the collective artistic achievement.
Audience impact: an artistic product
that inspires its target audiences.
The first and most
important was starting with a clear understanding among all project
stakeholders, that they were embarking on a creative arts project with
other social or educational benefits. This was essential for keeping the focus
on exploring individual artistic expression during the project. Broad social,
educational or economic outcomes were generated from the impact of the
collaborative artistic experience. This was most enhanced when the creative
development process supported and fostered the participants’ artistic
expression and showcased their expression in a well structured artistic design.
The artistic goals were defined in relation to the cultural context and purpose
of the project. The greatest positive impact occurred when the artistic
abilities in the group were stretched to achieve the shared artistic vision,
and this vision was creatively communicated to audiences.
Successful projects
provided the opportunity for participants to take up artistic or social
challenges that also contributed to achieving the goals set for the project.
This type of successful risk taking directly generated the human capital
outcomes and contributed to the social capital outcomes.
Participants identified
that developing a climate of trust within the group was critical to the
artistic, educational and social outcomes. This generated a
Creating a meaningful and
inspiring artistic result was at the heart of every successful project.
Artistic quality was defined by participants as how the finished work affected
them and their community, and how the art work embodied or represented what
they set out to achieve together. This included achieving a more ambitious or
complex artistic result than what they had imagined prior to embarking on the
project. Pride in the final achievement consolidated and validated what was
learned during the process.
The artistic abilities of
the professional artists was cited as a critical factor for success, followed
by their ability as a creative facilitator. This was underpinned however, by
the degree to which the artists applied their skills towards achieving all
the project goals, not just the
artistic goals. The most successful projects were those in which the
artist(s) developed a teamwork dynamic where participants could take up the
degree of challenge they wanted. This approach was most likely to tap into and
foster emerging artistic talents among the participants, which in turn
strengthened the integrity of the artistic outcome.
The degree of goodwill that
is developed within other allied local or regional organi
Project resources were
obtained through a mix of funding, sponsorship, in-kind support and volunteer
time. Without high levels of goodwill from a broad base of allied organi
•The degree of investment
by other stakeholders in the long term outcomes;
When a deeper appreciation
of the long term outcomes of the work was developed among stakeholders, it
created opportunities for a partnership approach to resourcing future
initiatives building on the long term potential of the work.
•The capacity to develop
community leadership;
Where there were poor
leadership skills, or leadership was vested in too few people, it was
frequently too difficult to sustain the commitment to longer term goals.
The existing frameworks for
assessing the value of community based arts practice are inadequate. The
traditional or fine arts paradigm does not extend to embrace the concepts of
cultural democracy, social capital or learning for human development. Yet the
function of art in society is much more than the body of products created by a
few, for public entertainment or private art collections.
The collaborative
production of art is central to: expressing community culture; developing human
and social capital; building and re-building communities; and transforming
minds, organi
Economic frameworks are
unable to measure the dollar value of social cohesion, count the monetary
returns from people realising their potential or the productivity gains
associated with self determination. The idea of the method of working —
the way we do things — being a valuable product in itself, is many years away.
The social and economic challenges
of the twenty first century will demand attention to a balance between
productivity and social maintenance. A continuing over emphasis on commercial
productivity will increase the risks associated in leaving insufficient time
and resources for the other half of the equation — social relationships. There
is much evidence to suggest that productivity and wealth are increased as a
result of greater attention being paid to how to improve the way people work
together, build relationships and create their futures together.
Community cultural
development is one element in a convergence of disciplines that are
progressively forming stronger connections— art, eco-environment, education,
human rights and spirituality — all operating from the central point of
cultural values. Without an articulated framework for cultural objectives, art,
eco-environment, education, human rights and spirituality are all subservient
to the current approach to economics, a poor measure for these issues.
This paper has explored how
the experience of community is fundamental to cultural expression, along with
the space for social interaction and the resources for artistic production. How
societies create organi
We need to acknowledge
community art as an important catalyst for cultural development and that this
is a valid role of art in society. This requires evaluation frameworks able to
reflect the scope and outcomes of the work, some of which have been discussed
in this paper.
This paper suggests that
key outcome areas for the arts in community cultural development are:
Outcome Areas Indicators
|
Building and developing communities |
• Stronger sense of community identity • A decrease in people experiencing social isolation • Improved recreational options for community • Development of local or community enterprises. • Improvements to, and increased use of, public facilities |
|
Increasing social capital |
• Improved levels of communication in community. • Improved levels of community planning and organi • Greater tolerance of different cultures or lifestyles. • Improved standards of consultation between government and community.
• Increased appreciation of community culture. |
|
Activating social change |
• Increased community awareness of an issue. • Community action to resolve a social issue. • Greater tolerance of different cultures or lifestyles. • Increase in local or community employment options. • Increased levels of public |
|
Developing human capital |
• Improved communication skills • Improved ability to plan and organise • Improved problem solving abilities • Improved ability to collect, sort and analyse information • Improved creative ability |
|
Improving economic performance |
• Cost • Increase in local or community employment options. • Improved standards of consultation between government and community.
• Development of local or community enterprises. • Increased business investment in community cultural development • Increased resources attracted into community and spent locally. |
1 Schafer, D. (1989) The Character of
Culture, World Culture Project, UNESCO, p18
2 Schafer, ibid, p20
3 Cox, E. (1995) A Truly Civil Society, Australian
Broadcasting Corporation, Sydney, p15
4 Cox, ibid, p18
5 Cox, ibid, p20
6 Putnam, R. (1993) Making Democracy Work:
civic traditions in modern Italy, Princeton University Press, New Jersey
7 Cox, ibid, p23
8 Putnam, ibid.
9 Williams, D. (1996) Creating Social
Capital,
10 Williams, ibid, p108
11 Williams, ibid, p94
12 Williams, ibid, p95
13 Williams, ibid, p86
14 Cohen, A. (1989) The Symbolic Construction
of Community, Routledge, London, p15
15 Williams, ibid, p117
16 Hamilton, P. (1985) in Cohen, ibid, p9
17 Cohen, ibid, p106
18 Williams, ibid, pp114-115
19 Williams, ibid p,115
20 Williams, ibid, p90
21 Williams, ibid, p63
22 Williams, ibid, p63
23 Williams, ibid, 63
24 Williams, ibid, p55
25 Williams, ibid, p56
26 Cohen, ibid, p36
27 Willis, P, (1993) Approaches to Adult
Education for Human Development, Latrobe University (in Press) Victoria.
28 Willis, ibid
29 Willis, ibid
30 Willis, ibid
31 Willis, ibid
32 Williams, ibid, p24
33 Williams, ibid, p24
34 Williams, ibid, pp16-17
35 Williams, ibid, p68
36 Williams, ibid, p68
37 Cox, ibid, p75
38 Probert, B, (1992) ‘Whose Economy is it?’, in
Horne, D.(ed) The Trouble With Economic Rationalism, (1992) Scribe
Publications, Australia, p28