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According to a recent survey from Research Surveys of Great Britain, 23 million people regularly attend voluntary arts and crafts events. Why do these people give up their personal time, make a commitment to community arts groups and value the experience? Louise James explores the motivation behind the high levels of participation in such projects.

Against the background of the arts being used to form public policy in the area of urban renewal and social regeneration, the Labour government produced a cultural strategy in March 1997 entitled ?Create the Future?1. It praised the arts by stating that culture creates jobs. I believe that this is a narrow view of British culture in action, and the economic arguments for public funding should not be the central reason for engaging in community arts projects. These arguments can be too focused upon the financial benefits and management of community?s economic resources. They miss the fundamental purpose of the arts - which is to inspire, create confidence and develop a creative and vibrant society.

For the vast majority of participants, they attend not because of the positive economic benefits an arts project can bring to a site, sculpture trail, housing estate or city redevelopment area. Rather, they attend because the arts offer them something much more valuable - they offer a chance to explore personal creativity, imagination and work collaboratively with other individuals. Community artists have stated time and time again that their skills lie not in developing economic growth but in inspiring creative and social change within communities.

The problem has been measuring that positive impact. Benefits such as the aesthetic, cultural and recently the economic benefits have been widely explored, whilst the social impacts have yet to be fully assessed.

Research findings

Research2 has identified that the social impact of participation within the arts can be identified through a range of overlapping themes: personal development, social cohesion, community empowerment and self-determination, local image and identity, imagination and vision, and health and well-being.

Participation in the arts has the benefit of increasing a person?s confidence, and for many it changes the way in which they are perceived by their friends and family. Participants often go on to become involved in other projects or engage in further personal development through training courses. For many young people, who have become alienated from the formal education system, the arts can be used to inspire, create confidence and motivate a person to re-engage in vocational training.

Learning life skills

For some the process of engaging in community-based arts gives them an opportunity to think about their rights and social responsibilities. For many it may be the first time that their wishes regarding positive changes to their facilities and community resources are sought and acted upon. Participatory community arts projects can promote social cohesion, bring people together, encourage partnerships and the formation of new friends.They can bring together social groups that would otherwise avoid each other, and bridge gaps between different genders, cultures and age groups.

The consultation process that is an integral part of community arts projects, encourages community empowerment and self-determination. For many individuals taking part in a project gives them skills that can be utilised elsewhere. Skills such as organisational planning, negotiation and motivation can be used positively within a community, helping people gain a sense of control over their lives.This increased empowerment can play a vital role in a community?s regeneration. People feel more able to speak about their environment facilitating consultation and partnerships between residents and outside agencies.

By becoming involved in community projects people feel that they have a role in improving the environment in which they lived and worked.They help improve the local image and foster a sense of pride in achievement. It is this process of renewing both the residents? and visitors? image of a city or place that can transform the public?s perception of local authorities and public agencies. Research3 found that amongst adult participants 21% had a new sense of their rights, and 40% felt more positive about where they live.

The arts also have a role in developing a person?s creativity and confidence to explore the arts further. People can experiment within safe boundaries and are given the drive to use their imagination and be creative.

Tangible benefits

It is because of these important tangible benefits that when we as arts professionals promote the arts, we do not allow the main focus to fall on the economic arguments.The impact of the arts is far broader; it touches people?s lives in ways that encourage creativity and exploration of imagination.The arts promote social awareness, cultural tolerance, exploration and personal empowerment; it is these qualities that we as individuals value.

Louise James is Assistant Arts Officer at Worcestershire County Council. t: 01905 766247, e: lsjames@worcestershire.gov.uk

References

1. Mark Fisher MP, from ?Create the Future?, 1997
2.?The Social Impact of the Arts: towards a project methodology?, Comedia, 1995
3. Matarasso, Francois, ?Use or Ornament? The Social Impact of Participation in the Arts?, Comedia, 1997

Further reading
Lingayah, Sanjiv, MacGillivary, Alex and Rayanard, Peter, ?Creative accounting, Beyond the bottom line?, Comedia, 1996

MacGillivary, Alex and Zadek, Simon, ?Accounting for Change: Indicators of Sustainable Development?, New Economics Foundation, CDMF 1994

Brinson, P, (ed.), ?Arts and Communities, the Report of the National Inquiry into Arts and the Community?, Community Development Foundation, London, 1992