MESOC Serapeum | Where culture meets AI

Id		100
Author		Matarasso, F.,
Title		Use or ornament? The social impact of participation in the arts
Reference		Matarasso, F. (1997). Use or ornament? The social impact of participation in the arts. Stroud, UK: Comedia.
Link to article		http://www.artshealthresources.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1997-Matarasso-Use-or-Ornament-The-Social-Impact-of-Participation-in-the-Arts-1.pdf
Abstract		Britain has seen an increasing use of arts initiatives to address socio-economic problems in recent years, ranging from major capital projects to local partici patory projects. While the economic value of these has been researched, albeit narrowly, there has been no large scale study of their social benefits. Between September 1995 and March 1997, Comedia, a leading independent research centre, undertook the first phase of a study into the social impact of arts programmes. This concentrated on participation in the arts, as the area most widely claimed to support personal and community development. This paper describes the findings of the research, which found that: Participation in the arts is an effective route for personal growth, leading to enhanced confidence, skill-building and educational developments which can improve people’s social contacts and employability. It can contribute to social cohesion by developing networks and understanding, and building local capacity for organisation and self-determination. It brings benefits in other areas such as environmental renewal and health promotion, and injects an element of creativity into organisational planning. It produces social change which can be seen, evaluated and broadly planned. It represents a flexible, responsive and cost-effective element of a community development strategy. It strengthens rather than dilutes Britain’s cultural life, and forms a vital factor of success rather than a soft option in social policy. The study concludes that a marginal adjustment of priorities in cultural and social policy could deliver real socio-economic benefits to people and communities, and recommends a framework for developing the role of participatory arts initiatives in public policy."

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It had changed their lives, giving them faith in their own abilities and enabling them to value their own struggle for recognition. .
At a basic level, they bring people together, and provide neutral spaces in which friendships can develop. .
It can contribute to social cohesion by developing networks and understanding, and building local capacity for organisation and self-determination. .
It can contribute to social cohesion by developing networks and understanding, and building local capacity for organisation and self-determination. .
Equally important are the new relationships and contacts which have strengthened networking at community level and with public and voluntary organisations. .
Individual benefits translate into wider social impact by building the confidence of minority and marginalised groups, promoting contact and contributing to social cohesion. .
and were seen to help in pursuing creative interests and further involvement in the arts, ranging from personal work to community projects. .
People who are confident and capable get or create jobs. .
Participatory projects can encourage people to become involved in environmental improvements and make them feel better about where they live. .
The lead officer thought the project improved his relationship with local people. .
New skills and confidence can be empowering as community groups become more (and more equitably) involved in local affairs. .
The arts can affirm the pride of marginalised groups, and help improve their local image. .
Finally, it was very clear that people derived great pleasure from being involved in arts activities, and that it added greatly to their quality of life. .
It is also worth noting that involvement in arts activities can have a positive impact on the confidence, skills and training of the artists themselves. .
This is where the arts work has made itself felt: participants in observer groups, including residents and professionals, felt the arts project made an important contribution by: Benefiting young people; Establishing community networks of ongoing value; Developing the communitys identity and sense of itself; Improving leisure and recreational opportunities; and Increasing appreciation of the value of community activities. .
Finding out about the history and culture of this area has helped me to feel proud of it. .
The sense of identity and belonging which comes from affirming, exploring and sharing a common culture was a factor in many of the projects. .
Participating in arts projects can be a remarkable motivator, and many community groups had found a lasting sense of mission through their commitment to arts work. .
The wish to participate is rooted in cultural meaning. .
For mental health service users in Nottingham, Durham and Portsmouth, arts projects had represented a valued and supportive environment in which to relax and get to know other people. .
All, however, have contributed valuable understanding to the research, adding to the range of cultural activity and of approaches to participation. .
On a personal level these touch peoples confidence, creative and transferable skills and human growth, as well as their social lives through friendships, involvement in the community and enjoyment. .
Arts projects can strengthen peoples commitment to places and their engagement in tackling problems, especially in the context of urban regeneration. .
Personal development Participation in the arts can have a significant impact on peoples self-confidence, and as a result on their social lives. .
In others, the arts work has provided groups with an opportunity to think about their rights and social responsibilities. .
Arts projects can nurture local democracy. .
Imagination and vision Participating in the arts made a big difference in developing peoples creativity and confidence about the arts. .
Building a creative environment The study sees the creativity, openness and elasticity of the arts as the roots of their social impacts. .
This study is intended to make a contribution to that aim by beginning to explore some of the social impacts which result from participation in the arts. .
Cultural diversity, of course, exists almost everywhere, and the arts play their part in developing understanding of different cultural groups in the Highlands and Islands. .
It was possible therefore, to look specifically at the contribution of participatory arts programmes to the regeneration process, at least in these areas. .
The pattern of existing and imported heritage is therefore especially complex, and the arts have been a significant force in helping to develop a sense of community. .
Others, touching on empowerment and creativity, suggest that social goals might usefully be enlarged by the arts. .
Active, engaged citizens What matters so much about participation in the arts is not just that it gives people the personal and practical skills to help themselves and become involved in society though it does but that it opens routes into the wider democratic process and encourages people to want to take part. .
Art as activity, process and object, is central to how people experience, understand and then shape the world: Culture is where we live our shared mental lives. .
This report has sought to show that the arts can and do make a valuable contribution to social policy objectives. .
Participatory arts projects can also be empowering, and help people gain control over their lives sometimes, as with Acting Ups work with severely disabled people, in a very practical sense. .
Health and well-being looks at health benefits and education through the arts, and at peoples enjoyment of life. .
Alongside these the outreach worker has run a programme of participatory activities, often led by artists, to introduce new visitors to the museum: weekday use by groups of older or disabled people is now common. .
Arts projects could embody peoples values and raise their expectations. .
Participating in arts projects had changed this, helping them to feel that the arts do not belong only to other people. .
Although the emphasis was on art as a part of the curriculum, the season also offered an opportunity to look at the contribution which participation in the arts might make to the general development of school students. .
These figures confirm that arts projects can inspire people to become involved in project organisation, and equip them to do so when they intend to. .
Expectations of its potential to change how people feel about their museums should be in proportion to the resources at its disposal, but it illustrates the potential of developing a participatory element in museums to renew relationships with local people. .
It is in the act of creativity that empowerment lies, and through sharing creativity that understanding and social inclusiveness are promoted. .
The framework of research While recognising that audiences can be considered participants in the creative process, projects where people are actively engaged in shaping their own arts work (alone or in partnership with professional artists) are fundamentally different. .
Therefore, this chapter looks at the extent to which participation in the arts has helped reduce social exclusion and isolation, foster good relationships between individuals and groups and promote understanding of different cultures and lifestyles. .
Respect for other cultures Participation in the arts can also provide opportunities for people to share their cultures with others as exemplified by the HOME festival or to demonstrate their interest in cultures which are not their own. .
Helping to plan or organise a project offers routes not just for personal development, but also for strengthening community institutions and voluntary groups. .
Many participants go on to become involved in other community activities or personal development through training. .
Participation in arts activities brings social benefits Participation in the arts does bring benefits to individuals and communities. .
Sometimes arts projects helped people articulate their feelings about isolation. .
This opportunity to refresh contacts between people who spend long periods of time together may be one of the most valuable impacts which arts projects bring to many educational and caring situations. .
This paper describes the findings of the research, which found that: Participation in the arts is an effective route for personal growth, leading to enhanced confidence, skill-building and educational developments which can improve peoples social contacts and employability. .
This paper describes the findings of the research, which found that: Participation in the arts is an effective route for personal growth, leading to enhanced confidence, skill-building and educational developments which can improve peoples social contacts and employability. .
The research identified several of these, including the boost to peoples self confidence, the development of social contacts, acquisition of new skills and a take up of training or education opportunities. .
Whatever else the arts might or might not offer, they are a highly effective route to enhanced confidence. .
The findings of the study do indeed suggest that this is true: participating in the arts is a major confidence builder (as already illustrated) and a means of developing peoples skills. .
Some thought that their new skills would help with arts careers. .
The artists also benefited from honing their skills in working with the public, and from having room in which they could grow creatively as well as professionally. .
But there was also evidence that the creative process could inspire a sense of empowerment in the people involved as a group. .
In several of the case studies there was evidence that arts projects had contributed to the development of understanding, sympathy and relationships between the ends of the age spectrum: children and young people on the one hand, and older and retired residents on the other. .
INTRODUCTION Every artist or arts worker will be familiar with the way in which participating in the arts can have a transformative effect on individual lives: after all, that is much of what art is about. .
Although it is the artistic product, or perhaps the creative process itself, which generally draws the attention of outsiders, the management processes which support a community-based project can have their own outcomes. .
Perhaps because they are already at a point where they are looking for growth, they use the creative process as a springboard to a different way of seeing themselves, which leads them to make real changes in their life. .
Those who work in the arts, especially in the participatory sector, have long argued that they produce positive social impacts. .
This research was designed to add a dimension to existing economic and aesthetic rationales for the arts by looking at their role in social development and cohesion. .
None the less the contribution of voluntary and participatory arts to individual and community well-being, and to the vitality of contemporary cul- ture, is very significant. .
Whatever value the arts have in their own right in the curriculum (and they have much), their potential for supporting broad educational goals should be recognised. .
But there is no doubt that arts projects can be highly successful in making training attractive to people who had not previously been reached by education initiatives. .
The mutually-supportive relationship between artists and people participating in the arts as non-professionals is easily overlooked, but it is crucial to the growth of individuals and to sustaining cultured and creative communities. .
Consultation leading to empowerment The use of the arts to facilitate public consultation becomes a genuinely empowering process when it addresses local political issues and decision-making. .
But participatory arts activities are more likely to produce positive social impacts if they subscribe to these principles. .
Participatory arts work is an effective tool of social development in proportion to its resources and vision. .
In Batley, observer groups felt strongly that the arts work had had a impact on developing community networks. .
Here, local people had also come together to establish a support group for the artist-in-residence. .
The impact of this subtle improvement in the quality of the fabric of the estate is recognised by tenants: the arts project seemed to residents and professionals alike to have offered people many different ways of owning change and sharing in its success. .
For a substantial number, the revelation that they could do something artistic which other people would truly value produced a lasting change. .
Investing in local communities Participatory arts projects are also effective means of supporting and investing in local communities. .
They can also play a vital role in the regeneration process, facilitating consultation and partnership between residents and public agencies. .
Teachers identified educational benefits to schoolchildren in several areas including language development, creativity and social skills. .
The arts project has played a valuable role in revitalising these social links, helping bring about a Summer Gala involving half of all residents in 1996, in addition to its regular programmes of workshops for adults and children. .
Principal among these was support for vulnerable people in the community, personal empowerment and health promotion through education. .
They have the capacity to contribute to health and social support of vulnerable people, and to education. .
It would be unwise to build too much on individual cases, but any contribution which participation in the arts can make to alleviating such feelings, however difficult to measure, is obviously valuable. .
New confidence and skills; new friendships and social opportunities; co-operation towards achievement; involvement in consultation and local democracy; affirmation and questioning of identity; strengthening commitment to place; intercultural links; positive risk-taking these and the other social impacts which this study has identified are crucial means of fighting social exclusion. .
For some, this meant renewing an existing interest in the arts, but for others it was a new element in their lives. .
The arts project opened up opportunities for these friendships to be renewed and strengthened, informally and through the consciously multicultural character of the Summer Gala. .
Since these may appear hard to integrate within public policy the study recommends focusing on planning an environment in which participatory arts projects can succeed. .
Although it is difficult to separate elements of a holistic renewal programme it was evident that the arts were integral to its success. .
The arts were good because they made money. .
Employment and training for work Some of that consumer spending keeps people in work, but participatory arts projects also enable many artists to survive financially, by supplementing their earnings from commissions, sales and performance. .
In Batley, several community groups had been strengthened through working on arts activities: for example, members of the Tenants & Residents Association on Batley Carr credited the project with developing their team-work skills and experience. .
This distinction is significant because participation is the main interface between the arts, volunteering and community activism. .
Much of the work under review was undertaken by freelance artists, rather than by specialist, employed community arts workers, and there was considerable evidence of benefits to this group. .
Taking creative risks can be positive not just in terms of the outcomes but in improving the circulation of the institutions involved. .
addresses the social impact of participation because it is to this area of the arts that social benefits are most commonly attributed in policy discussion. .
People who participate in the arts also contribute to consumer support for the non-participatory arts sector. .
Arts projects can provide cost-effective solutions The arts have many purposes, and play many social roles. .
In economic terms the case for supporting participatory arts projects arises principally from their contribution to social policy objectives. .
It is also the ultimate guarantor, for those who care about the arts, that they will continue to flourish even as we seek to harness them for social development. .
There are many questions about the economic impact of the arts which need to be addressed, for example: What contribution can they make to the training and employability of the workforce, especially for new forms of work? .
This diversity is literally vital, not only enriching in its own right, but guaranteeing the future strength of our culture and our society. .
They encourage people to become more active citizens, and strengthen support for local and self-help projects. .
Their creativity and openness encouraged people to take positive risks, both personally and organisationally, with far-reaching benefits. .
Crucially, it had inspired them to help develop similar opportunities for other people in the town. .
The style encouraged wide, equitable and open participation by local people. .
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. .
The Living Archive Project grew out of a strong local interest in community documen- tary drama to record, explore and articulate local peoples history through theatre, publications and other means. .
The economic importance of the arts is increasingly appreciated, but to consider only the financial impact of cultural activities is to produce a distorted picture of their actual value to society. .
This concentrated on participation in the arts, as the area most widely claimed to support personal and community development. .
Yet these multiple personal changes are the building blocks of wider social impact which the arts are said to produce. .
People described how their social lives had been subtly changed and extended as a result of their participation in arts projects. .
The differences between projects arise from one of the characteristics which distinguishes arts work from other forms of leisure activity or community development it deals in meanings. .
In a society increasingly confused about what matters, the arts offer a positive way of expressing not only personal or group values, but political vision. .
However, perhaps because the experience was often relatively new, many people described how their ideas about the arts, and specifically about their own creative abilities, had been transformed through their participation. .
CONCLUSIONS THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS The study has included a wide range of arts projects and approaches to participation, each with its distinctive character and values. .
He valued the arts projects contribution to this and believed that continued progress depended on the community believing it was worth taking action. .
From this perspective, costs of participation in the arts, as in life, may be indicators of richness and engagement. .
Success in the arts, however, could just as easily enhance an individuals position, especially where they had not previously been seen by their peers as being talented. .
Participatory arts projects, with some exceptions, are more effective in building peoples confidence than in translating it into political consciousness, (if that is a projects purpose). .
Spending time in an arts project was very positive when there where few constructive alternatives, but it could also separate someone from their peers. .
The beauty, the intangible and magical aesthetic of art, is its greatest use. .
It is one reason why the arts are so important. .
It brings benefits in other areas such as environmental renewal and health promotion, and injects an element of creativity into organisational planning. .
Local image and identity Participatory arts projects have an important role in celebrating local cultures and traditions such as the York Mystery Plays. .
Most respondents agreed that the festival had improved contacts, confidence and understanding between cultures, but several felt it was important to recognise that community cultural activities, networks and organisational capacity had existed a long time. .
Some projects, like Portsmouths home festival, promote intercultural understanding and help recognise the contribution of all sections of the community. .
The Council has an established commitment to the arts, and particularly to community-based developments, and is notable for the four seasons it promotes annually to extend access and participation in key areas. .
It is just that the cultural riches of the Highlands and Islands remains strongly localised and so connected to place and to people. .
The national Arts Councils have an essential leadership role to play here , as do Regional Arts Boards, local authorities and specialist agencies at local level, especially in developing links between communities, artists and public bodies. .
The implications of this for planning how to assess the outcomes of projects led to a decision to focus this stage of the research on participatory arts projects, but taking an inclusive approach with room not just for community arts but for voluntary and amateur activity. .
It may be that participatory arts projects can help institutions of all kinds to accept the imperfections which come with creativity, and which let the light get in. .
People working in the arts and in social fields may wish to consider how evaluation of their work might contribute to tackling such questions. .
But if the impact of participating in the arts can change people and communities they have the potential to change society. .
People belonging to minority groups have also been able to extend their social circles, within and beyond their own cultural communities. .
For these people, participating in the feis was an important development in their sense of identity and culture. .
There was also evidence that the community development aspects of participatory arts projects could help reduce fear of crime and promote neighbourhood security. .
It brings benefits in other areas such as environmental renewal and health promotion, and injects an element of creativity into organisational planning. .
Certainly, members of the Variety Society did feel more confident, and the outreach workers were mostly successful in helping people to take part fully. .
Confidence through co-operation and achievement There was a widespread recognition that confidence came through a sense of achievement, of having done something worthwhile, but it was striking that this did not have to be personal: being part of a collective success gave people the same sort of pride as having made something of their own. .
The project was judged very successful by those involved. .
Many of the case study artists, and especially those with less workshop experience, benefited greatly in terms of enhanced confidence in their own work and abilities. .
One person had been nervous about not having had a formal arts training, but learnt it was not crucial, which knowledge gave her growing confidence in her work: Ive got a bit bolder, more courageous, as a result of seeing how the others put things together. .
If nothing else, their existing commitment to the arts implies previous experience and, perhaps, a degree of confidence in their own creative abilities. .
The costs of learning Participation in the arts was a learning experience for almost all those interviewed and, as already discussed, the acquisition of new skills and competence was a major source of confidence, pride and pleasure. .
It may be argued that the questionnaires are bound to show positive results, since they are completed by supporters of the arts. .
They had enjoyed the creative work, and felt that they had learnt a lot about their lifestyles: whilst one might not accept every claim of changed habits, arts work proved to be an effective medium for carrying ideas. .
This kind of intergenerational contact was evident, and valued, in other projects, especially those based primarily on a geographical area, like Wymering in Portsmouth, where art workshops had enabled young and old to work together. .
Change among individuals can become change among groups and communities. .

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