Social inclusion in the arts represents a very specialised area of audience development. A project which includes participation may have no social inclusion aims, while many social inclusion projects do not have an audience development remit. Arts Council England’s New Audiences programme created a funding strand through which specific, socially inclusive audience development initiatives could be researched and tested.
Research and documentation by Helen Jermyn and Gerri Moriarty, which provides a valuable overview of this work, reveals significant confusion about the definition of social inclusion/exclusion. Findings also show that the impact of these projects often seems to affect individuals rather than situations – projects do not cure housing problems, drug dependency or crime, but they can provide people with a way of opening up their potential. The research tested three broad models of arts intervention: community-led work; experienced arts organisations working with socially excluded groups (often in very specific areas such as homelessness or prisons); and partnerships brokered by Arts Council England. This last model enabled an experienced organisation to link up with a mainstream organisation, and resulted in projects in which a strong strand of organisational learning was a necessary part.
Partners included
In one of these partnership projects, Cardboard Citizens, a theatre company working with disabled actors and making extensive use of the Forum Theatre technique, teamed up with the Royal Shakespeare Company to develop a performance of Shakespeare’s Pericles. A series of condensed performances and workshops led to a site-specific production in a disused warehouse, which not only involved project participants as dancers, but also aimed to attract an audience of homeless and ex-homeless people, refugees and asylum-seekers in addition to the core audiences of the two partner companies. Richard Oyarzabal, director of Cardboard Citizens, says the company “has benefited from the huge range of skills within the RSC”. The RSC in turn gained an insight into the work of Cardboard Citizens’ invaluable expertise in social inclusion work.
This partnership also demonstrates the difference in scale between a flagship company employing 500 people and a small-scale, issue-based theatre company. Challenges include understanding and respecting potential partners as well as working to a realistic set of expectations. It is clear too from the documentation of these projects that many unexpected outcomes resulted from the partnerships and the projects they undertook.
Strategic planning
New Audiences funding allowed organisations which were already working with a community to consolidate their work and provide longer-term planning and development. ‘Estate of the Art’ was a Leicestershire-based project, led by Charnwood Arts in Loughborough and Mantle Community Arts in Coalville. One of the project’s aims was “to develop sustainable relationships between the arts and community agencies”, and the partnership consequently drew in a number of other local groups working with young people.
Estate of the Art was also an example of a social inclusion project being able to draw money from sources outside the arts. One of the estates they worked with was awarded a grant for community development, which included the creation of a park. Developing the input of young people into the plans for this space became part of the project. Other projects have been able to draw funds from Trusts, local authorities and from their own budgets to support social inclusion work. A synchronicity between arts-based projects and the funding available for community projects is emerging as social inclusion aims are adopted in many spheres of public life.
Learning included
Huw Champion, editor of Mailout magazine, has reviewed many of the projects for an upcoming special issue on the arts and social inclusion, funded by New Audiences. He points out that arts organisations often have “a fundamental misunderstanding of what, for example, homelessness is about.” Regular attendance is problematic for many potential participants. “The idea that every Thursday is video evening or drama evening is an absolute non-starter for people with chaotic lifestyles. They might have a great time at a workshop, but it doesn’t mean you’ve got them forever. Clearly, what New Audiences did for them was to encourage them to go into different territory, and the degrees of success were varied.”
This can be a particular challenge for marketers, who are aiming at a radically different target audience, compared with their normal work. Arts About Manchester’s Open House and Doncaster Community Arts’ (DARTS) Access Point are examples. Facilitating long-term attendance by excluded groups at mainstream venues was attempted, with some success, by means of various kinds of mediation, including participatory work, organised trips to arts events, and special events such as drop-in sessions and familiarisation visits.
Social inclusion work in the arts can be costly and labour intensive. The results, however, have much to tell us in terms of artistic results, social development and personal achievements for participants and artists alike.
Beyond the Page
For more information about the special February/March edition of Mailout, contact Kate on 01246 207070, or e-mail kate@e-mailout.org
Visit http://www.newaudiences.com for resources and information.
Feedback to Essential Audiences can be sent to audiences@artsprofessional.co.uk
Essential Audiences is compiled and written by Catherine Rose. For more information about the New Audiences Programme, contact the Arts Council England, 14 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 3NQ.
t: 020 7973 6497 f: 020 7973 6791 e: newaudiences@artscouncil.org.uk textphone: 020 7973 6564