The root of effective community engagement is a sincere desire, steeped in humility, to be of value. All of the “how’s” proceed from there. The humility required does not stem from any question about the value of art or of the work that an organization presents. Rather, the humility rests in awareness of how much is unknown about the needs and interests of a community with which little or no relationship exists.
The process of community engagement, of developing relationships with communities, is relatively straightforward, like that of nurturing a new friendship; but it is often most like one in which the individuals are near total strangers at the beginning. That said, there is a fairly straightforward outline/template of how to proceed. It is the details of the conversations that will be unique in each circumstance.
With new communities or with ones with which there is only a short-lived history, “getting to know them” is job one. Conversations should probably begin very simply with something like this:
- “We want to help and we know we don’t know how.”
In a new relationship when an arts organization says that, the responses will likely run somewhere along a continuum from disbelief to wariness to curiosity, depending on the nature of any contact the community has had with art or arts organizations. This is an especially difficult obstacle to surmount if previous experiences have been negative.
The potential community partner will likely have little experience with the arts. The next step in the conversation is not “What do you want?” (As has been discussed here numerous times before, they will likely not have any significant depth of knowledge of art.) That discounts the organization’s expertise in the art’s history and repertoire. Instead, guide the community with this proposition:
- “Don’t think about the arts. Tell us about your interests and concerns. We’ll try to figure out how/what we can do to help.”
The series of conversations addressing this is the time-consuming element of the process. Trust must be built before much real sharing, especially of concerns, can take place. If there have been negative experiences, this will be difficult; much less so if the community you approach has no history with the arts. Over time, listen to what the community says in response to this prompt. Eventually, there will be enough information that arts-based means of supporting the community will suggest themselves.
Finally, the arts organization should not overreach. It should not attempt to do too much too soon. Do nothing until a true relationship exists and there is clarity about how to proceed. And rather than striving to make a significant difference, start small. Simply seek to make some difference. Projects with greater impact best grow from small successes.
Engage!
Doug
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Hi Doug,
I met you briefly in LA. I enjoyed reading your article because this is what my art practice does.
http://www.folklife.si.edu/talkstory/2015/on-fences-plazas-and-latino-urbanism-a-conversation-with-james-rojas/
Hey, Doug,
I love this, but I don’t see how it squares with common practice among traditional arts institutions. Check out arts websites around the country and you’ll find large institutions creating engagement programming that originates with them and is presented as an opportunity to engage with the organization – a sort of “let us teach you how to engage with us” approach. Some offer engagement programs with an “aren’t you fortunate that we’re letting you have this opportunity for us to engage with you” attitude.
I love the fact that you begin with a humble desire to be of service, but I wonder if it’s even possible for institutions that are defined by their belief in their own superiority to actually be humble, let alone serve others.
Do you think this applies across the board, or is it really for small, local organizations that are community based to begin with?
Trevor,
You typically don’t look to arts organizations for how to do marketing. Similarly, and for nearly identical reasons, I generally don’t look to current industry practices for how to engage. We both want marketing and engagement to be more effective. You’re right that humility might be a stretch given the (sometimes unconscious) mindsets we find. The principles of engagement, like the principles of marketing, apply equally to large and small organizations. But as I’ve often said, small and rural organizations sometimes work at it more diligently because they have no other choice.
The idea of approaching the community with humility is very close to my heart. I have spent six years in South Florida, engaging in the retirement communities with my string quartet, and I regret to say that the simple matter of asking the community members for suggestions on how to make the most of our time there, somehow, escaped us for a while. I would like to reference James Bau Graves, who in his book “Cultural Democracy” also articulates this issue, stating that no matter how well you know the community, the decision about any cultural enrichment has to come from within the community. The author of the book talks about creating the committee of community insiders to discuss such projects with the artists. I feel that by making assumptions about such an important matter as the cultural life of the community, artists face the danger of making the engagement more focused on themselves, and not the community.
That leads me to agree with your statement in the blog post from March 20, 2013 (Outreach ≠ Community Engagement) that the definition of outreach (where the “outreacher” is at the center of attention) is very different from the one of community engagement (where the needs of the community are at the center). If one wishes to engage with the community, one has to leave his/her personal assumptions out the door.
I personally wish I have read your blog post six years ago – it would have spared me the trial and failure aspect of my experience. I do, however, endeavor to think that this experience has made me a little wiser.
Thank you for a very enlightening reading!
Hi Doug,
I enjoyed reading about your methodical approach to increasing engagement in communities by building bridges of engagement through humility and understanding. America is certainly at a crossroads needing to engage broader audiences, particularly when considering our country is estimated to become a majority-minority country by 2043.
I taught at a high school where half of students where English was a second language (ESL) and poverty was plentiful. The rest of the student body were from upper and middle class families. The divide in interest in the arts was staggering and coming in as a new teacher, I immediately saw how generally most of my students from upper class families were more interested in joining choir than other students. As soon as I got to know students of all backgrounds better and tried to understand their situations, I began to see how universal singing truly is. Attempting to appeal to all students, particularly the ESL student, I chose music in their first language, pop music, and only a little of other great choral literature they would not otherwise choose to sing. At first, it definitely was a give and take in order to keep their interest and maintain their trust in me as a teacher. We performed concerts with our Mariachi group, jazz band, and symphony orchestra. Portions of the songs in each concert were those familiar from radio and recent movies. However, we also sang in Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Latin. I quickly realized later that it wasn’t only the music we sang, but the sincere concern and connection I developed with each of my students that allowed them to give me and music a chance. I realized that I was essentially asking them, “How can I help?” It was the authentic relationship with the individuals in the choir, the music we created, and me that they found an authentic connection they sought.
Building relationships of trust took time acknowledging and understanding each of my students the best I could.
I now find myself in a situation trying to build a community engagement through choral music in a different arena now that I am just finishing up doctoral studies after a break from teaching high school. This is a new challenge I am sure will require the same principles of humility and sincere investment to build bridges in the community where I now live.