Community
arts stem from a belief that the arts are for everyone
and the consideration of the context of the work and its
social impact is as important as artistic quality.
Community
arts create a relationship between the art and social,
economic and personal development. The arts help to tackle
social issues of disadvantage and exclusion, environment,
health, and equality. Community arts encompass all artforms,
including traditional and contemporary.
Over
the past 40 years, community arts has achieved recognition
at the highest level. However, its grass roots nature
has meant that opportunity for international networking
and sharing of ideas between cultures has been limited
and ad hoc. By offering this unique opportunity for organisations
and individuals from all over the world to come together
and discuss their experiences, arts within communities
will be able to develop beyond current national boundaries
- without compromising the essential local focus of the
work.
The
seminars covers:
? Arts in urban and rural contexts
? Arts used for social inclusion and regeneration
? Arts and health
? Arts in the workplace
? Arts used for consulting communities
? Arts as a tool for developing personal and social skills
? Arts facilitating life long learning, training and inclusive
routes into education
This
seminar offers participants the opportunity to explore
issues of quality, sustainability, and partnership in
community arts projects, using examples from Scotland
as case studies. It is designed for participants to discuss
policy context and practice in their own country and foster
international networks. The timetable provides maximum
opportunities for dialogue between participants and the
people involved in Scottish community arts scene to foster
mutuality. This style of seminar supports the British
Council’s mutuality pilot, which is taking place
in Scotland
The
case studies will provide a picture of artists working
with diverse community groups, including children and
young people, people with disabilities, asylum seekers,
refugees, prisoners, and ethnic minority groups. Their
work uses a variety of artforms from drama, music and
creative writing to visual arts and dance. During the
seminar, there will be a number of site visits to community
arts projects to see this work first hand.
WHO
SHOULD ATTEND THIS SEMINAR
This seminar is aimed at policy makers and senior managers
in ministries, local government and arts agencies/councils
and other bodies implementing or influencing arts policy.
The seminar may also be of interest to artists and community
workers. The seminar structure is highly interactive and
should foster exchange of practice and experience between
participants as well as invited speakers.
EVENT
DIRECTOR
Judy Savin MA, MSc has been working as a freelance management
consultant and researcher for the arts and voluntary sectors
since January 2002. Current project work includes: acting
as e-mentor for the Scottish Arts Council’s online
Evaluation Toolkit and undertaking research in Arts and
Disability for the Scottish Arts Council’s European
Year of Disabled People 2003 programme. After taking a
postgraduate degree in Cultural Policy and Management,
she worked for 10 years in the arts as General Manager,
Paintings in Hospitals Scotland, Director, Scottish Youth
Dance, and Dance Officer, Scottish Arts Council.
CONTRIBUTORS*
Sian
Fiddimore
Manager
WHALE
Jacqueline
McKay
Director
North Edinburgh Arts Centre
Lindsay
Mitchell
Arts Development Officer
Sense Scotland
Liz
Moran
Director
MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling
Lesley
Thomson
Community Arts Manager
Aberdeen City Council
Jim
Tough
Head of Arts
Scottish Arts Council
*Subject
to change