I'm currently developing a compendium of articles for New Urban Arts' resource library. I've chosen the topic of Community Arts Practices. In the next few months, I will be trawling the depths of Community Art Network and various other sources. I'll be posting some of my finds here in order to get feedback on which should make the cut. Also, sometimes I will just find lovely gems that don't really fit within my self-prescribed scope but I want to share nonetheless.

The following selection is from Community Art Network's Postcards from the Community Arts Convening and Research Project, 2009-2010.

Tables, Seeds, Relays, Maps, Circles and Bridges

To examine the role of artists and the arts in policy and systems change, the group created metaphors to help understand what role they might play across sectors to make change and contribute to policy? The group selected several metaphors to aid them in discussing the difficulties that the artist and the arts face when trying to work in fields outside their expertise.

Setting the Table: For the arts to be good partners in cross-sector work, we need to build on the success of the past, and know our strengths as well as our limitations;

Seeding: The arts have a unique role and responsibility to imagine, articulate and work towards the realization of “that which does not yet exist”;

Running the Relay: There are times, however, when the arts would be more effective by being part of a relay team working together to affect policy and systems change;

Mapping: Mapping processes, power and potential partners is a great tool for helping artists determine to whom, when and how they need to “hand off” policy and systems-change work;

Widening the Circle: It is clear that the arts cannot effect policy and systems change on their own and will need to develop transformational relationships with a variety of partners from different sectors and disciplines;

Translating and Building Bridges: To effectively build the coalitions needed to achieve policy and systems change, the arts will need the help of translators that can help establish trust and build bridges.
These metaphors somehow indicate that the arts reside in a community and family setting (the table), which nourish and help to create growth (seeding), which require collaboration and teamwork (relay), which help to set the direction (mapping), which extend meaning (widening), and which create connections (bridges). Even in our most complex encounters we can find within the arts a language of the visual imagination to uncover our strategies and strengths.

P.S. – For details on this workgroup conversation, download "Cross-Sector Partnerships and the Role of the Arts in Policy and Systems Change" by Erik Takeshita and Anusha Venkataraman.