Rethinking Thinking on Arts and Community Development
A reflection on this moment
Pamela Bridgeforth
Restore, reimagine, rebuilding initiative (HACE and Just Act) - Arts based practices for community engagement and planning. Photo credit: HACE CDC
We know, but do we really understand?
I was flattered to be asked to contribute some thoughts about ArtPlace America’s collective work in the space of arts and community. I watched and admired from a distance as the boldness of the idea of concentrated support, shared visioning and reflection unfolded to bring forth an unprecedented awareness to and respect for how both fields informed and enriched and emboldened each other’s goals in neighborhoods and tribal communities across the country. At ArtPlace’s sunset, I was lucky enough to be closer to its direct impact by being a part of a cohort of artists and community developers in Philadelphia working collaboratively to build on some of the spirit of the initiative’s work — albeit on a much smaller scale — with programming and grant making through the Philadelphia Assembly, a cooperative nurtured by the steadfast support of ArtPlace’s Senior Program Officers Maura Cuffie and Leila Tamari.
But truth be told, I am a sucker for any chance to run my mouth. Old age has made me less ashamed of my shortcomings and bolder about admitting what I don’t know. Experience gives one a sense of knowing about a thing but at the same time realizing that the more you know, the less you understand. Crazy right?
I write this odd bit of self-reflection as an entry point into the unique moment of self-reflection we face now both as a sector (or combined sectors of art and community?) and quite honestly as a nation. Having worked with community development groups of all sizes and kinds I am humbled by the knowledge that their work is that of agents of change for social justice, civil rights, and economic empowerment. They are at the foreground, background, ground zero in the forming of a civil and just society. These groups are not just community revitalizers at the neighborhood or tribal level. They are in fact nation building. Partnering with artists and implementing arts strategies are among the sharpest tools in the toolbox used in the work.
But do we understand just how powerful these tools can be?
Trying to understand where we are now:
The folks at GIA and A2RU are to be commended for their commitment to uplifting the insights of the ArtPlace work, specifically the 13 ways in which arts can advance equitable development practices. A lot of time—more than a decade of-- data mining and documenting the powerful and insightful journeys of the individuals and communities undertaking impressive and powerful work is extraordinary, and I believe can help the sectors of arts and community development with a better understanding of the past.
But over the last 24 months, the world as we know it has changed.
Communities have burned to the ground. The networks of resources to support these communities have reduced or stretched to their breaking points. Philanthropic and governmental priorities have shifted, and the general national discourse has been become less equity focused and more extreme to the point of potential civil unrest the likes this nation has not seen since the period leading up to the Civil War. Crazy right?
What do we do with what we know? Or how ArtPlace insights can inform the moment now
For the impressive compendium of ArtPlace knowledge assembled to have impact in this new moment of our time, we will need more intentionality around sharing the research and its recommendations with others—practitioners, community leaders, and policy makers--learning from new insights, and building on those insights for truly meaningful equitable community advancement.
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One example of how this might look in real life could be that the original ArtPlace investors could institute among their existing and future grant portfolios convening regular learning circles designed for all grantees as well as with other funders in their communities to share insights, but also explore how new refinements could unfold and impact communities.
We will need more resources to protect the gains achieved during ArtPlace’s life and not solely because we want continued support of nonprofits doing great work at the community level, but because our country is facing an outsized threat to the democratic ideals of equity that can only be battled successfully block by block, city by city, region by region reinforcing, implementing, educating communities on how to build, replicate, deepen those 13 ways in which arts and culture support equitable development.
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One example of how this could unfold is that new bold partnerships are formed with private philanthropy and government entities such as the Departments of Interior, Justice, Agriculture, the Institute of Museum and Library Services as well as the National Endowment for the Arts that can be collaboratively designed with a focus on cultivating and nurturing pathways towards healing and understanding across cultural, political, or geographical sight lines.
The insights ArtPlace work has helped to identify from transforming space and reflecting community identity to imagining new approaches and generating resources — of new partners, talent and money are essential to our sectors—community development and the arts — work. If implemented with true community leadership and investment the work can be the ammunition (or inoculation?) against the shortsightedness facing our nation now.
That is not so crazy after all (or maybe it’s just crazy enough to work).
We know but we don’t know and despite this we must go forward:
You must be thinking if you haven’t already moved onto your day by now, this is all well and fine, but how can we make the case given all the challenges we face today and be taken seriously? No one in their right mind will think that arts and community projects can help heal our national divide or change a racist mindset or eliminate gun violence. That is crazy. But I will leave you with this: most of humanity’s greatest societal triumphs had their birth and nurturing in the auspices of art or an artist activated for common good whether this be a novelist shining the light on the evils of slavery in 19th century America to a comedy writer shining a light for all the world to see how quickly democracy can be taken away and how steadfastly people united can fight and win in 21st century Ukraine.
See, we know this, but now we must work to understand it and build on that understanding for the future. That is not crazy. It is necessary.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pamela Bridgeforth is director of programs for the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations (PACDC).
This post is part of the series, Future of the Field: Cross-Sector Creative Placemaking Series.
