So far, we have discussed the role that schools, museums, and parents play in promoting cultural participation to school-aged children. There is one more body that we must fully investigate to understand how kids are exposed to art, and how to leverage that exposure to create adult cultural participators: community.
“Community” is a nebulous term. It can mean the town government, various community organizations focused on a particular cause that impacts the community, or concerned citizens who don’t necessarily have a structured organization. Each section of the community can impact how integral art is in the community. Governments and organizations can commission or create public art and provide programming outside of schools. Citizens often will advocate the government or organizations for more programming. The end result of these efforts is more art access, a heightened awareness of where gaps are, and an understanding of why art is important.
A future post will focus on specific community initiatives in Massachusetts and around the world, and cultural placemaking (creating a community through culture) in depth. This post is more of an overview.
When introducing art into a neighborhood, or elevating art’s status in the neighborhood, it is crucially important that those shifting the focus to art be members of the community. If an outside entity is driving the change, art becomes an invasive element and accompanies gentrification1. To avoid this, it’s critical that community members be listened to, local organizations get the funding they need, and local governments prioritize art.
Now we’ve covered all the various ways people, and specifically children, have access to art education. Next, we will discuss why that’s important.