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Arts and culture in regeneration – 237KB (2006)
A review of international literature related to arts and culture in regeneration, presented at the World Summit on Arts asnd Culture held in NewcatleGateshead, England, in June 2006.
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Come as You Are: Informal Arts Participation in Urban and Rural Communities – 80KB (2010)
Attendance at performing arts events and art museums is greater in urbanized areas. However, urban and rural residents generally participate in the “informal arts” (activities often unaffiliated with for-profit and nonprofit arts organizations) at similar rates.
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Cultural Development Strategies and Urban Revitalization: A survey of US cities – 117KB (2007)
Municipal governments around the globe increasingly turn to museums, performing arts centers, arts districts, and other cultural activities to promote and revitalize their cities. While a significant body of literature examines revitalization strategies that focus primarily around entertainment and commerce, the empirical body of research that specifically investigates the role of cultural strategies in urban redevelopment is still growing. This paper first discusses the development of municipal cultural strategies in the United States, and draws from the literature to outline the characteristics of three different models of such strategies. Second, the paper presents findings from a national survey distributed to municipal agencies involved in the promotion and development of cultural activities and facilities in large and medium-sized US cities. The survey data indicate that although most agencies are guided by a varied set of goals, entrepreneurial objectives continue to guide the development and support of cultural activities in most cities.
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Does Cultural Activity Make a Difference to Community Capacity? A key question addressed by the Small Towns: Big Picture project. – 184KB (2003)
Paper presented to the National Congress of Local Government Managers: Many rural communities are confronted with a host of unprecedented challenges, caused by globalisation and economic restructure, community fragmentation as a result of service withdrawal, and increasing distrust in political processes. These pressures have emphasised the need to re-kindle creative energies and build community capacity to effectively respond in determining their own future. Small Towns: Big Picture was a community development process designed to foster creative, energetic and collaborative action by 5 small rural communities in central Victoria – focusing specifically on the development of social, environmental, and economic sustainability indicators. The project bought together artists, researchers and local communities to produce a coherent and shared understanding of the sustainability issues and opportunities. The main question addressed here concerns the role of the arts in building community capacity – more specifically, what difference did the cultural activity make to the engagement of people in the process, and their ability to act to improve their social, cultural and economic well-being?
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Strengthening Rural Economies through the Arts – 307KB (2005)
Every state has areas with rural characteristics. Rural areas are often noted for providing an enhanced quality of life and some of the highly distinctive and treasured dimensions of a state’s culture and character. However, these regions also may face economic development challenges such as geographic isolation from metropolitan areas, infrastructure deficiencies, poor links with metropolitan and global markets, and the flight of skilled human resources to metropolitan regions. States have successfully addressed these challenges through the arts.
