MESOC Serapeum | Where culture meets AI

Id		175
Author		Australian Expert Group in Industry Studies , AEGIS,
Title		Social impacts of Participation in the Arts and Cultural Activities
Reference		AEGIS (2005). Social impacts of Participation in the Arts and Cultural Activities. Cultural Ministers Council. Commonwealth of Australia: Australian Expert Group in Industry Studies of the University of Western Sydney.
Link to article		https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/160833/Social_Impacts_of_the_Arts.pdf
Abstract		This literature review identifies, collates and evaluates existing applied research on the social impacts of participation in arts and cultural activity. The project focused on the growing body of research work examining the impact of participating in arts and cultural activity on other areas of social interest such as: cognitive skills and educational attainment; community pride/identity; crime prevention; mood; self-esteem; social behaviour; social cohesion; and health. It concludes that there is much anecdotal and informal evidence of positive impacts from arts participation but little data to support the hypotheses.

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Candidate transition variables
These relate notably to improvements in health status and crime prevention. .
These included community ownership, education and increased self-esteem. .
They are also interested in the development of social capital as seen in the level of community trust, the development of social networks, the evolution of different groups and the extension of social relationships and community. .
It is certainly possible that studying the arts leads to the development of cognitive skills that in turn lead to heightened achievement in academic areas. .
It is also possible that studying the arts leads to greater engagement in school, which in turn leads to greater academic achievement. .
The project is viewed as a first step in bringing together current work on the social impacts of participation in arts and cultural activity in order to help identify further research needs and allow for better informed policy development and programming. .
The international trend in the field of using the arts and cultural activities as a means of achieving broader social goals suggests also the importance of looking at the cumulative effects of participation in arts and cultural activity. .
The project focused on the growing body of research work examining the impact of participating in arts and cultural activity on other areas of social interest such as: cognitive skills and educational attainment; community pride/identity; crime prevention; mood; self-esteem; social behaviour; social cohesion; and health. .
The arts and cultural portfolio areas have developed initiatives to contribute to broad government objectives, including the reduction of social exclusion, community development, improvements in individual self esteem, educational attainment or health status. .
The hypothesis explaining why it was that youth attended arts activities and returned to them was that the arts attract interest from students not otherwise reached; that they reach students in more effective ways; that the arts connect students to themselves and each other; that they transform the environment for learning and provide learning opportunities for the adults in the lives of young people; that they provide new challenges for students already successful; and that the arts connect learning experiences to the world of real work. .
Thus, for instance, the impacts of arts education on academic performance are sometimes said to work through the mechanisms of adding to self-esteem which suggests that there are several areas of impact from the same set of participations. .
The concern may be with capacity building, both in terms of communities and individuals, whether or not this involves formal or informal training or is expected as a more general result of participation in the arts and cultural programs. .
If arts and cultural activities are to be used as a vehicle for achieving other social goals, it is important to know who participates in different kinds of activities, when during their lifetimes and with which motivations. .
In a general sense, this focus encourages attempts to develop programs that develop social capacity and social cohesion and inclusion through cultural activities. .
Creative participation is defined as participation associated with making, creating, organising, initiating, producing, facilitating arts activities and indicates active engagement. .
In reality many arts programs have considerable economic value and hence social value as they provide employment and hence may be beneficial in terms of crime reduction, health improvements and so on. .
The existence of arts and cultural activities could thus possibly be construed as contributing to the sense of self-worth of the Scottish community, even though the programs were not explicitly designed to have social impacts, other than attracting tourists perhaps. .
It should be remembered, the authors say, that culture, in its widest sense, improves the quality of life. .
The project aimed to identify, collate and evaluate existing applied research on the social impacts (benefits and costs) of participation in arts and cultural activity into a searchable database. .
A second element of the policy context is interest in the role that such contributions by the cultural sector can play in justifying public funding for arts and cultural programs and institutions and thus helping ensure the financial viability of the sector in a climate of greatly increased demand for public accountability. .
When addressing the question of the social (or any other) impacts of participating in the arts and cultural activity and as a result directing additional resources to an area or areas of policy and program activity, it seems vital to address the issue of the durability of the positive results obtained. .
In contrast, there seems to be much evidence that such participation, whether it be receptive or creative, increases the quality of life and the richness of experiences available. .
But in practice, many arts and cultural-related experiences are provided by institutions, both public and private, notably museums, galleries, archives and libraries. .
Cultural institutions mostly have goals which have little to do with social impact, focusing on heritage conservation and presentation (museums and galleries) or information storage and dissemination (libraries and archives). .

ARTICLE - CANDIDATE TRANSITION VARIABLES

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