Why do you think people in the South Holland and Boston areas don’t get more involved in the arts?

My gut reaction to this question would be ask the folks of SH and Boston. Followed closely by ensuring there was an opportunity of a large selects of ways they could have a taste of the arts, to experience and find a preferred way of engaging with their chosen art form or ‘art’ – as opposed to just asking folks what they would like.

A lot of sound suggestions have been made as to why people from these areas don’t engage. To add to this :-

• Communication – folks not knowing about opportunities
• The activities are not right for them
• Folks ot feeling part of the the choice of opportunities

What do you think should happen to encourage people to get more involved in the arts locally?

A balance of experiences ranging from the large unusual, mindblowing, challenging performances, to the small intimate, hands on local opportunities. Every piece of work should be inspirational, imagenative, vibrant and of high quality . A mass of opportunities , open tasters, open activities, How do folks know want if they have never experienced it, ow does a community know how to experience something, if they have only had limited or no opportunities to appreciate or try something? These activities and events to be placed in a range of across the Borough and District, especially within local settings, singing and song writing in the benefit advice office , cartoonist at the cash outs, sculpture at in the recycling depos – in our experience the only way to fully engage a hard to reach community it to go tothe community….music production in a library, samba with he football fans at the as a of the the match.

Approach people, where they are and invite them to experience something different in the safe of their own eviroment

What ideas do you have for exciting, innovative ways to get more people involved in the arts in the area? Please also estimate how much it might cost.

Ensuring a solid bases for creative development driven the community, through an initial smorgasbord of inspirational, high quality activities across the Borough and District, both appreciative and participatory and ensuring the the best possible opportunities are presented to the communities. Thus enabling the communities to have informed opinions to design and be a part of future developments within their areas.

The opportunity of a Long term community performance/ musical based on the traditions and philosophies of community plays, ie owned , developed and written by the community . With scope for a second or third project following the first, to ensure the capturing of all the excitement and enthusiasm the initial project fosters is not lost, but harness into future .

Ensuring support for the development of the arts community so it an susain the hopefully demand of the community, for workshop, performance and classes and sessions. Therefore a robust workforce development scheme within the Borough and District. Possibly based on the Musicleader project model, but for wider remit.

Fully supporting the option of creating a ‘something’ unique to the Borough and District…. Fairy of the Fens…. Ensuring a solid bases for creative development driven the community, through an initial smorgasbord of inspirational, high quality activities across the Borough and District, both appreciative and participatory and ensuring the the best possible opportunities are presented to the communities. Thus enabling and empowering the communities to have informed opinions to design and be a part of future developments within their areas.

The opportunity of a Long term community performance/ musical based on the traditions and philosophies of community plays, ie owned , developed and written by the community . With scope for a second or third project following the first, to ensure the capturing of all the excitement and enthusiasm the initial project fosters is not lost, but harness into future .

Ensuring support for the development of the arts community so it can sustain the hopefully demand of the community, for workshop, performance and classes and sessions. Therefore a robust workforce development scheme within the Borough and District. Possibly based on the Musicleader project model, but for wider remit.

Fully supporting the option of creating a ‘something’ unique to the Borough and District…. Fairy of the Fens….

It would be great if after such longer term developements a tradition of an cultural event, is created for and by the communities and becomes a thing of pride and tradition for Boston and South Holland that is passed down through generations.