Consulting with communities

Situated in the midst of the Fens in eastern England, the borough of Boston and district of South Holland are known for their rural and predominantly flat landscapes, with the principle industries being agriculture, haulage and food processing. This area was pinpointed in the Active People Survey as being one where the number of people engaging with the arts is significantly below the national average.

Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places fund was created to address such areas and following its announcement, several public open space meetings resulted in a final consortium of artsNK, Lincolnshire Artists Forum and Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service putting together a proposal under the title of Transported. We were one of only seven successful bids in the first round of funding applications, receiving initial funding for three years but with the long-term mission to become self-sustaining.

Most people would not know what they would like, as for many reasons they would have limited or no experience of arts activity in the first place

Our main aim is to work with local partners to increase the number of people engaging with high-quality arts experiences, consequently building the capacity of the creative sector here and using artistic experiences to encourage communities to reflect upon and value their location. Rural communities are dynamic, with the demographic changing dramatically over the last decade − changes which have undoubtedly made an impact on the cultural life of the area. At a time when the level of investment in our capital is being questioned, Transported is ideally placed to look at the role the arts can play in addressing the social and economic challenges and needs of rural areas, at the same time as celebrating them and investing in inspiring new programmes that will play a positive part in their future.

We decided that the best way to create a programme that would truly engaged local people was to involve them in decisions about what they would like to see offered. It was also recognised that due to the very reason this programme was taking place, most people would not know what they would like, as for many reasons they would have limited or no experience of arts activity in the first place. Therefore, we put out a commission for artists, asking them to use their creativity to suggest arts experiences that could help navigate around barriers which may have prevented people from engaging previously. This formed an initial consultation programme which was an alternative to just sending people out with clipboards.

Transported could create a more interactive and appropriate consultation, taking arts activity to a variety of places coupled with a team of dedicated community researchers. This gave local people an important frame of reference so that they could talk about the arts. 25 projects were commissioned, and thanks to nearly 150 events taking place from May to July in over 70 different locations, we were able to get the opinions of over 6,000 local residents about their views on the arts and on the area.

Events were varied, from putting musicians from orchestra Sinfonia Viva on the top of rooftops around Boston market place (including the famous local landmark the Boston Stump) and multimedia projects about migration and Crowland Abbey, to craft and designing workshops and flash mobs. Location was key, and many activities were deliberately organised to be at pre-existing events such as local markets and community fun days in order to catch local people who would not make the decision to specifically attend an arts event.

Feedback was useful, with many people emphasising the importance of investing in projects that build community spirit, and also being positive about having more arts opportunities. Added to this was feedback from two further projects: a pop-up spaces project in which we programmed arts activity in two local empty shops during August in collaboration with local artist Carol Parker and Dan Thompson, the author of Pop Up Shop for Dummies; and festival-based research through working with ArtReach to bring its ‘Night of Festivals’ event to Boston in October.

The information gathered has helped to shape the next steps of the programme. Eleven distinct strands of activity are being developed as part of phase II, working with local partners and drawing on specific feedback from the consultation, including:

• Haulage: A partnership with the local haulage industry, exploring themes of exchanging art from around the world.
• Open Book: A partnership project with local libraries, bringing arts events and activities to libraries. This is particularly prevalent as our local libraries, including those in rural locations, are currently awaiting the result of a consultation on their future.
• Past Inspired: A partnership project with heritage venues and organisations to celebrate and preserve our local history.
• Live and Local: Taking more live performances to local people, touring to unusual venues such as workplaces.
• Pop-up Spaces: Building on the success of the August Empty Shop project, bringing more art to brighten up temporary empty locations.

Public art will be commissioned as part of two strands, on both a large and small scale – and consultation with local audiences will be ongoing.

Melissa Marlowe is Communications Manager of Transported.
www.transportedart.com
@TransportedArt
www.facebook.com/transportedart