The one thing that was glaringly evident as I attempted to search for articles and previous research about local arts councils was that there wasn’t much of anything to find. How the arts can be used to heal, or produce change has been researched, but the effect of an arts council on a local community has not. I also noticed that although everyone understands the power of the arts on a community, who is going to be responsible for making the decisions as to what art programs should be used for this particular community? Not all communities are the same – what will work for one town may not work for another. This decision needs to come from within the community. This should be the function of an arts council.
This underdeveloped area in research was also evident in an article by Duxbury (2011), in Small Cities Imprint, that mentions, “Within the community, the arts may not have a prominent status or widespread appreciation…” This problem could be helped by the focusing arm of a community arts council that was made up of members of the community. Who better to know of the interests and needs of a community than the members of that community? Many arts programs are organized and carried out by forces that are outside the community who know nothing of the personal interests of the community.
One article by Jeremy Nowak (2008), who discusses the central role of the creative sector within neighborhood revitalization, opened up an area that was of interest to me. He mentions, “There is a gap in the literature and research about the creative sector and distressed communities.” He discusses how most of the research has been on the effect of arts organizations and urban development, but very little has been on the effect of the creative sector on distressed communities.
Nowak, J. (2008). Distressed places and creativity. GIA Reader, 19(3), 7-21.
Duxbury, N. & Campbell, H. (2011). Developing and revitalizing rural communities through arts and culture. Small Cities Imprint, 3(1), 111-122.
I agree. Most of the research is on urban areas. I did a bit of research on the small rural communities and i found that they do not have a large museum that can sponsor or help in arts activities. The urban areas can find funding because of the diversity. We have run into this many times with our organization's grant applications. The demographics are not "correct." We have to be impoverished, the thing is the 'low income" families cannot get to the community events. Rural areas do not have public transportation. That is why many community activities are associated with the schools. The kids/people are already there. I will be very interested in your research. WV is loaded with creative people, they are scattered. Networking is vital and co-ops help.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you searched for main street associations in small communities if you would turn up anything. Also, I read somewhere about government funded cultural grants are been focused on the arts within small towns and communities in Florida.
ReplyDeleteHi Rhonda!I am researching a similar area and came across two articles that may be of interest to you.
ReplyDeleteHow the Arts Impact Communities: An introduction to the literature on arts impact studies prepared by Joshua Guetzkow for Taking the Measure of Culture Conference, Princeton June 7-8, 2002 it's part of the Working Papers Series through Princeton University Center For Arts and Cultural Policy Studies. Also the Institute for Community development and the Arts article: It worked in My City....
Good luck! I was surprised that there is not more info on rural areas...