Here are some brief notes on what was discussed at the session on why people in South Holland and Boston don’t engage much with the arts.
- Social class – art seen as too ‘posh’?
- People aren’t involved in the planning – art done to them, not with them
- Financial pressure and affordability
- People don’t see themselves as being ‘artistic’ enough
- Art not considered relevant to people’s lives
- Lack of time, people need to know benefits
- Lack of recognition of what activities are seen as art
- Location – rural isolation
- Creativity
- What is the cultural offer and how to communicate it
- Language and avoiding art speak
- Access to transport
- Lots for children, less for adults
- Self reliance, close networking, isolation
- Communicating – finding out what small groups are out there and talking to them to find out what they would like
- Developmental progress – look at what is happening now and how it can be developed
- What happens round here? What is important to you?
- Tensions between communities
- Similarities between Boston and South Holland – engaging migrant workers and communities
- Creative activity in the consultation – eg museum in a caravan
- Need to manage expectations
- Portable art installations – taking art out into the communities – people not knowing it’s on
- Parking where the chip van parks! Reinventing it into an artistic experience
- Capturing stories online – video, text, photos
- Flash mob ideas
- Connecting – ownership, social media etc
- Building momentum
- Where do you get a critical mass of people?
- Tesco express
- Marker place
- Schools and toddler groups
- Village halls
- Children’s centres
- libraries
- Sub centre
- Village shows and fetes
- Communities contact centres
- Other civil society groups
- Go to the people, don’t make them come to you