Community Focus – The art of regeneration

Consultation and community involvement are key elements in making art and regeneration projects work. Richard Jones profiles one project which has got artists and regeneration teams working side by side with communities.
regeneration projects throughout the region thanks to a new programme which is helping to engage local people with contemporary art. Groundworks Creative Regeneration initiative, supported by Arts Council England, East Midlands, aims to make high quality contemporary art a regular and integral part of regeneration projects across the region. The programme, developed with lead artist Heather Connelly, offers three key areas of activity: projects on allotments and green spaces; site specific projects; and art walks.

The theory behind the initiative is that art should be accessible to all, with local communities having the chance to become involved in the process of developing and commissioning contemporary public art rather than having it imposed on them. Activities have covered the entire arts spectrum from sculpture and photography to a project investigating the built environment through the medium of dance and movement, resulting in a short film. A recent example has been with artist Jo Dacombe who worked with Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire to design a new bridge for Belper Deer Park as part of wider regeneration activities around the site. Jo creatively engaged local residents and explored their ideas about what they wanted to see. The finished bridge reflects its surroundings  providing leaning corners, rippled shadows on the newly laid path, quotations etched into the handrails and colourful acrylic bands, which can be playfully twisted and turned.

A lot of the work has involved artists engaging in creative consultations with local communities, looking at ways of engaging people so they feel comfortable in contributing ideas about what they would like to see in their area. The arts can provide a powerful mechanism for getting people involved in a very hands-on way allowing them the time and space to think about things differently. When youre planning a community garden or improving a park, the early involvement of artists can help to inspire and enthuse people about the process, as well as add value to the result.

Other examples include the work of artist Jayne Murray in engaging the people of Corby in the design of two parks. Glow sticks were used to engage communities with potential new routes for paths through West Glebe Park, and Jaynes involvement led to an innovative design for the regeneration of green space at Studfall Avenue. For this years Architecture Week, participants were encouraged by artist Andrew Robinson to explore with digital cameras the wealth of vernacular architecture in the huts, fences, pathways, gates and other constructions in Hungerhill Allotment in St Anns, Nottingham. Selected images were compiled into a DVD slide show that was shown at Broadway Media Centre throughout the week. Meanwhile in Bolsover an innovative art walk offered an alternative reading of the landscape and architecture of the areas surrounding Bolsover Castle using an Antarctic Explorers re-enactment group who worked with artist Rupert Clamp to describe Scotts walk across the Antarctic.

For artists, working with community groups in this way can be challenging but really rewarding. The same is true for regeneration professionals. Thinking about art at the start of the project rather than treating it as an add-on at the end is, for many, a new way of working, but it can greatly enhance the results.

Richard Jones is Strategic Arts Co-ordinator for Groundwork East Midlands.
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