Y Pwyllgor Diwylliant, y Gymraeg a Chwaraeon

Adolygiad Polisi: Cyfraniad y Celfyddydau a Chwaraeon at Adfywio Cymunedol

Cultural Concerns

ARTS AND REGENERATION - AN OVERVIEW

Those involved in regeneration activity are increasingly aware that the arts are central to the process of social, cultural and economic renaissance. Public bodies recognise the potential of the arts in developing jobs, training, the economy and health. Personal development linked with community empowerment is an essential condition for creating wealth, social cohesion and improving quality of life. In Wales, community arts have proved to be as one of the best ways to regenerate people as well as places - helping those who live in deprived areas believe in themselves and what they can do, as individuals and as a community. In Wales there has been a long tradition of community involvement in music and song - for example the many brass bands and male voice choirs which developed in the Welsh mining communities. The culture of Wales has also become internationally through the high-profile work of Welsh National Opera and numerous other performing arts companies. The sound of Welsh rock is also making waves world-wide. However there is also a thriving arts scene based at a community level, which aims to foster creativity, diversity and excellence for those involved, while also empowering individuals to develop their communities and themselves. The photographs and examples have been provided by several of the many independent organisations in Wales who work in this field (a list of these and other useful contacts is provided at the end of the exhibit). The projects and activities represented have been chosen to represent the range of community based artwork which is taking place in Wales, and the diversity of ways in which participation in the arts is having a positive impact on people and places. It is hoped that these examples may provide inspiration and ideas for others who work with the arts in a community context.

ARTS AND REGENERATION - RELEVANT TERMINOLOGY

Community Development: a collective process whereby people come together to identify their needs and devise programmes for meeting those needs and overcoming problems they encounter. This process emphasises participation, the development of groups and the building of community organisations, whether based on geographical or other common identities that can impact at local and other levels. Regeneration: improving the well-being or quality of life of all people in a defined area by targeting different aspects of economic or social disadvantage. Regeneration is not just about the physical environment, but also about promoting employment, education, health and community safety. Social inclusion: - access either to work, to training and education or to another meaningful activity;

• somewhere decent and safe to live;
• the ability to lead healthy lives and appropriate access to health care;
• all children in the community should feel safe and should be provided with appropriate education and opportunities to play
• people should be empowered to voice and contribute to decisions made about their community.

Sustainable development: meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. Equal opportunities: the promotion of a culture in which diversity is valued and equal opportunity is a reality. Capacity building: development work that strengthens the ability of community organisations and groups to build their structures, systems, people and skills so that they are better able to define and achieve their objectives. A community: a group of people who dwell in a reciprocal relationship which respects personal privacy and communal responsibilities - not only geographical places, but also groups of people identified with historical or ethnic traditions, or dedicated to a particular belief or spirit . The arts as a term means different things to different people. They include the performing arts, visual arts and craft, writing, multi-media, and other kinds of activities across a wide spectrum that flow across the conventional distinction between serious and popular culture, and which are often founded in new technology. The arts are just one aspect of Culture - 'society’s conversation with itself, overheard by others" ; the process by which we acquire and share our sets of values in society and how we share and reveal them to others. Community arts: variety of approaches which involve workers and animateurs opening up and promoting opportunities particularly among disadvantaged communities (eg disabled people, unemployed, young offenders, communities without access to local facilities, ethnic minorities) and stimulating a wide range of unique initiatives and projects. It promotes participation of all kinds - such as singing in a choir, playing in a rock band, taking part in a community play, creating a dance, writing poetry, making a video or tapestry and many many other kinds of activity. Underpinning this is the belief that people of all ages, abilities and cultures have a right to define, create and actively participate in the arts activities of their choice. This includes access to opportunities for people who so wish to develop artistic skills and practice whatever their level of accomplishment. Community arts emerges from communities of people working together to improve their individual and collective circumstances.

ARTS AND REGENERATION - SOME KEY ISSUES

Funding Participation in creative activities is often sparked and developed at a local level by a community arts worker who works for or receives support from a funded organisation. Funding for these activities come from a variety of sources - Arts Council, National Lottery, Local Authorities, Central Government, Charities and Trusts, voluntary Sector Organisation and commercial sponsorship...and increasingly from organisations and departments whose remit is not directly to support `the arts’ but who see participatory arts as an effective way of delivering their own policy priorities - eg health Department, Economic Development, Neighbourhood Renewal etc. As more evidence comes in about the effectiveness of community arts programmes, it is anticipated that this trend will continue. Sustainability Community artists must always be concerned with the long-term viability and continuity of projects. From an early stage they will begin identifying sources of alternative funding which will enable their project to continue. It is people that create community art, not funding bodies or professionals. For it is the communities that must sustain this over a long period of time. Often a good community artist will live and work within a community for many years, often doing voluntary work as well as paid. Process The process of participatory arts sessions is as important as what is produced. Participants are encouraged to take part in deciding on the form and content of all activities, and workshop leaders are there to teach skills and provide support and advice, rather than controlling what work will be done Evaluation In evaluating the project, community arts workers take into account not only measurable factors such as attendance numbers, number of workshops, what is produced hours worked but also less tangible benefits which will only emerge from close observation of, and in depth conversations with the participants . It is hard to capture quality of life benefits in hard quantitative performance indicators - the creative arena is an unpredictable one where risks need to be taken to make things happen. The problem is to express these contributions in ways which are clear, provable and helpful in making the most of culture and creative activity. Participants need to be involved in this evaluation stage, and the process of consulting the community itself can benefit from creative approaches. However some clear criteria have emerged by which the quality of a community arts activity can be measured, including the following:

• local community have assisted in identifying the project as valuable;
• there is a high degree of community control over the project;
• clear objectives in the funding period;
• further objectives beyond the funding period;
• means of achieving the objectives are set out in a plan;
• partners will be committed, appropriate and allocated realistic contributions;
• partnership funding will be explicit and committed;
• activities extend local people’s vision of what the future could be.

In a nutshell, projects should be exemplary, replicable, sustainable and self-contained. Some contentious issues

• Is community art bound to be low quality?
• What’s the difference between 'art’ activities and 'recreation’?
• Can arts activities really make a difference or are they just a distraction from the 'real’ problems such as poverty, health and unemployment?
• can everyone really be creative?
• why should the arts be funded at all- aren’t there more important social problems to put money into?
• is there a risk that expectations can be raised by successful projects, leading to disappointment if the funding isn't there to support the activity in the long term?
• shouldn’t we be putting the available arts funding into supporting specialist arts companies and professional artists, which are also short of cash.

NEXT STEPS

Training There is a need for long term development of skills among local activists, youth and community workers and voluntary organisations in the initiation and development of arts projects. This includes topics such as fundraising, harnessing of networks, managing or leading projects. It will also be important for the voluntary umbrella groups or specialist agencies to be able to provide particular support for local groups to sustain such initiatives

FUNDING

What’s needed?

• Start-up or seed grants for groups aiming to develop their community arts work
• ongoing core costs for groups seeking to develop and/or consolidate their work
• activity-based work such as workshops, performances and exhibitions

Vision for the Future "Arts can have an enormous impact on regeneration programmes because it’s about creating cultural dynamics prior to the physical infrastructure. We are able to stimulate debate about what people aspire towards , what heir visions are" Martin Goodrich - Free Form Arts Trust in New Internationalist. Community arts are one of the best ways to regenerate people as well as places, helping those who live in deprived areas believe in themselves and what they can do - as individuals and as a community. Self-confident communities are better placed to make economic and social progress. Locally controlled projects can ensure that activities are genuinely in-demand and sustainable. Skills learned through arts are readily transferable to work and social life. Community development is essentially a dynamic process. For people to understand and embrace change it is desirable they experience it in a tangible way. Participants can actually feel themselves changing while taking part in activities such as mime, dance or drama. Using peoples talents, skills creativity and commitment in a collective process is a vital element in the rejuvenation of the poorest and most marginalised communities. "Cultural industries allow a community to engage in activities that enhance its identity and they make sound economic sense - commercially viable, they help create jobs and ;provide skills training". Arts and the Changing City, BAAA 1997 The use of the arts coincides with a shift in emphasis in regeneration strategies towards seeing people as the principal asset through which renewal can be achieved. Wealth creation, social cohesion and quality of life ultimately depend on confident imaginative citizens who feel empowered and are able to fulfil their potential. The arts are a mechanism to trigger that individual and community development. Arts projects can strengthen people’s commitment to places and their engagement in tackling problems, especially in the context of urban regeneration. They encourage and provide mechanisms for creative approaches to development and problem solving, and offer opportunities for communities and institutions to take risks in a positive way "There is an increasing awareness among those involved in regeneration activity that personal development linked with community empowerment is an essential condition for creating wealth, producing social cohesion and improving quality of life. In order to bring about the reconstruction of local areas, there is often the need for the people living there to first build up the motivation and self-confidence to reconstruct their own lives". From 'Arts and Regeneration’, Local Government Information Unit 1999 STEVE GARRETT
Cultural Concerns
Cardiff: December 2003