What can policymakers learn about co-creation from the arts sector?
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
At Telescope, one of our key goals is to bring together policy and decision makers with the people who are most impacted by those policies, including voices from our local communities, which often go unheard. But at a time when politics has become divisive and people feel increasingly disenfranchised, how can we encourage individuals and community groups to engage in projects that will drive change in society? The cultural sector is full of organisations – from museums to libraries and theatre companies – who are at the heart of their local communities. These organisations work hard to understand their audiences and strive to reach new groups, but to do that, they must first form a connection. Can the creative and cultural approaches used here be an effective tool that policymakers can learn from when planning their own outreach projects and engaging the public in decision-making processes that affect their communities?
Co-creation has for many years been crucial to the arts and culture sector. Theatre and festival programmers, writers and producers regularly work with community groups to devise new projects that will shine a light on unheard stories, offering opportunities for community members to go on a creative journey alongside the artists, with the ultimate aim of creating a piece of work that feels authentic.
In January, Policy Lab announced MANIFEST, a new initiative that would explore the role of art in policy, working with artists to understand whether cross-disciplinary processes inspired by the approach of artists can drive innovation in policymaking.
Art has always served as a means of reflecting the world we live in, of better understanding what it means to be human. It can provide us with the tools we need to dig into the issues that affect us as individuals and the problems we experience within our communities, whether that is the community we live within, linked to place, or a community that forms an important part of our identity. Improving this understanding of our communities is also vital for the effective delivery of policy engagement projects, which is why we want to highlight the potential to learn from the way co-creation and community outreach is used in the cultural sector.
The importance of culture in communities
Arts Council England delivers public funding within the cultural sector, and its current strategy supports the funding of cultural organisations to deliver projects that aim to have a social impact, whether that means reducing loneliness and isolation, or giving people from under-represented communities a chance to voice their stories.
The Arts Council strategy states: “Our Creative People and Places programme offers clear evidence that when communities are involved in shaping their local cultural provision, a wider range of people participate in publicly funded cultural activity. And when the cultural sector works closely with community partners, the activity itself is richer and more relevant, resources go further, and greater civic and social benefits are delivered.”
This focus on place reflects something that Telescope trustee, Kit Collingwood, observed in a recent interview on our blog: that working in local rather than central government allows her to affect change in the community in which she lives, creating policies that are place based, focusing on the specific needs of the people in that area. Arts funding also has a local focus, which came to the fore with the introduction of the government’s levelling up policy, as funding was distributed more widely outside London, to local authority areas with lower levels of arts provision or engagement. This change wasn’t without controversy, due to the loss of funding for some organisations and venues in an already difficult financial climate. As a result, these increasingly publicly funded cultural organisations must play a bigger role in their community, in some cases becoming involved in the delivery of services that have a social or health benefit, or being delivered via social prescribing. See the example of English National Opera’s ENO Breathe programme, which uses singing as a means of aiding recovery in people suffering from long-Covid. (As a side note, despite this work, ENO was one of the organisations most affected by recent changes to Arts Council funding, losing their status as a national portfolio organisation and advised to partially relocate outside London).
What is co-creation in the arts and culture sector?
Co-creation is about equality, collaboration and bringing a sense of shared ownership to the arts.
When devising a new project, play or artwork that will benefit a particular group or community, it’s important that artists begin with an open mind rather than being fixed on a specific outcome. Co-creation aims to engage and empower a group or community; it should produce something that participants feel has been created with them rather than for them. The artist might begin with some ideas for what they would like to create, but outputs will be shaped by the community participants as the project progresses and can vary widely. East Durham Creates offer local people the chance to shape and create artistic experiences that sometimes take the form of more familiar social activities, such as campfires or street parties.
A crucial question asked here is: what do the community get out of this? A co-creation project is an exercise in trust. Participants are asked to share their stories or ideas, their hopes for the future, something that may be quite personal to them. These contributions need to be treated with respect so people feel that they have been seen and heard.
What are the benefits of co-creation?
Taking a co-creation approach can result in a more authentic arts experience for the public that will connect with a wider community. This authenticity can help to increase engagement within groups who may not normally attend cultural events and activities, as it has been created for them, within their community. Attending an event like this can improve the confidence of these individuals and increase the likelihood that they will engage with other cultural activities in the future, or it might create a social network or group that continues beyond the boundaries of the project.
This approach can help communities who may not traditionally access the arts to engage on their own terms, and feel that they have a voice. It offers opportunities for relationship and trust building, and if people who are active within a community get involved in the co-creation process, they can help create connections with others who might want to engage with the project.
When planning a co-creation project, artists will consider what its legacy may be, with projected outcomes often a key element of arts fundings bids. While outcomes can be as simple as offering audience members the chance to have fun, they might also have more tangible benefits, sometimes even tied to educational attainment if a project has been delivered with schools or young people. Compass Live Art worked with researchers at the Institute for Social Justice, York St John University to explore the impact of co-creation and understand how people had engaged with their previous events through walking interviews, which tied together place and memory.
Photo by Naira Babayan on Unsplash
How can policymakers use this co-creation approach?
While developing a creative project is different to drafting new policy, we believe policy can learn a lot from this collaborative, community led approach. Cultural organisations are often at the heart of their communities and have been working for years to reach diverse, under-represented groups, delivering impactful projects with small budgets. Finding creative ways to reach people can be a powerful tool, inspiring them to engage with a project that has the potential to have a meaningful impact on their lives. Building creativity and trust during the engagement process may also lead to the generation of imaginative solutions for some of the issues our society needs to address.
Audience development is a key factor for arts organisations too: by welcoming specific groups into their building or activities, they are forging a relationship that will hopefully endure beyond that specific project. By encouraging people to take an active role in policy development, you are showing them that they can have a voice that will make a difference to their lives and the lives of the people around them, which may lead to a more lasting engagement within their community.
If considering a creative approach to co-creation as a methodology for future policymaking, ask yourself the following questions:
If you’re planning to work within a particular community, try to identify organisations and groups who already work there and have a strong role within the community. Consider whether you might partner with them, or involve them in the policymaking process to enable you to go deeper into that community.
Ask yourself, and people on the ground with lived experience, what are the key needs within this community and how you can address them. Be realistic about what you will be able to achieve.
When working with individuals or groups within a community, try to meet them where they are. Allow them to share their stories and listen when they tell you what they need. Let go of preconceived ideas and biases. Understand the barriers that people in this community face and how that impacts their ability to engage with you. For example, if you want to target families, but find people are unable to get involved in your project due to childcare issues, could you consider running a fun activity for the children that will allow the parents the opportunity to join your research conversations?
Think about whether the policy you are developing will have short or long-term benefits and how you might adapt it. How can you build on infrastructure or projects that are already in place?
Most of all, consider what this community will gain from the development of this policy and whether it will address the issues that have the biggest impact on their day-to-day lives.
Used in policymaking, an arts and culture-based approach to co-creation has the potential to have an even greater impact on individuals and communities, creating change and serving as a force to understand the barriers we must break down to help people live healthy, meaningful lives.
Further reading:
Arts Council England – Considering Co-Creation
