Community, as a singular plurality, encompasses the people who, and places that I endear and embrace as an extension of my identity.  It canvasses the spectrum of personal, social, professional, geographic, passions, values, and many other ties that reflect the complexities that make us whole.   … [Read more...]

Awkward beers shared at a high school reunion, the Reddit thread I visit to share research about Game of Thrones episodes, an annual yelling match whose origins no one remembers each Thanksgiving dinner, subway riders throwing a few bucks to an underestimated musician who makes commuting a little more bearable, curt nods without eye contact from sweaty strangers at the gym, the other freshmen at university orientation who also feel fraudulent and terrified, a town that shows up to vote to ensure that the decisions – decisions about marriage and … [Read more...]

If you're part of a CSA, or community supported agriculture program, you receive a box of fresh fruits and vegetables from a local farm every week. What would you say to a box of new artworks from local artists in your community? Many arts organizations and artists have started these community supported art programs to showcase and support the local artists in their communities. Springboard for the Arts is one of those organizations working to highlight the role that artists play within geographic communities. Like matryoshka dolls, they … [Read more...]

As we've seen this week, communities exist in many forms. Your workplace can be considered a community as well. Some more open than others. Some with multiple communities inside of one another. Some where the community changes based on the organizations trajectory. Workplace community is inherently based on teamwork: groups of people working together on a common project, cause or goal. These are typically the things that bring you together in a working environment. Of course, social interactions and friendships that are formed, change and … [Read more...]

Alternate ROOTS is a southern-based arts and culture, service organization that works at the intersection of arts, community, and social justice. In a conversation on community, we must mention them and their work. In all the work they do, Alternate ROOTS embraces these five principles of working in community:   Shared Power Partnership Open Dialogue Individual and Community Transformation Aesthetics of Transparent Processes Learn more about their process and these principles. Add this to your toolkit: Alternate … [Read more...]

It seems we've been here before. Yes, it is true, we've asked this question to Creative Community Fellows and many others throughout the years. This conversation is not new, but it is one that is still happening and one that is radically personal, yet shared. Take a look this chorus from our first cohort of Creative Community Fellows. Fellows hosted conversations with one another and contributed their perspectives on what community means to them. Some things sound familiar from our blog posts this week: commonalities, location, shared … [Read more...]

"Once a rural area hosts a population of artists, they can help the region attract non-artist residents who value the arts as an amenity, and they can engage all residents in relationship-building through cultural activity." Take a look inside this piece from Createquity on the ways in which artists are working in their rural communities throughout America. Be sure to travel to the many resources mentioned in the post and comments. Are you working in your rural community? What resources can you share for others doing this … [Read more...]

What's the difference between a community and a network? Networks focus on getting, communities focus on giving. Check out this article from the Harvard Business Review on the importance of strong leadership in guiding community building, and the amazing things that can happen when a network transforms into a community. We're not sure these words are necessarily the right way to describe these behaviors, but they certainly exists within certain groups. The Creative Community Fellows cohort is chock-full of givers. Take a look back at this … [Read more...]

The Knight Foundation recently shared the results of a 3 year study, "Soul of the Community" (SOTC) looking at what factors played a role in 'attaching' residents to their communities. This study focused on the definition of community as tied to a specific geographic location, investigating what make people love where they live. ArtPlace America also defines 'community' as inherently place-based in their 4 principles of successful creative placemaking:     Define a community based in geography, such as a block, a … [Read more...]

Today, more than ever before, artists, individuals, and organizations are using social media to make connections and spark conversations with each other. Art even happens online. Community building does too, according to this article on The Guardian. From mobilizing communities to act to providing a space for conversation and connections, social media is increasingly being used to support and sustain communities, in-person and away from computer screens. Do you see crossover between your online, social sphere and in-person action? How can, or … [Read more...]

Do communities have to be tied to geography? Locality? Your Youtube Cat Video Appreciation community might have something to say about that. Social media allows us to connect with people from geographic communities both near and far. Distance is no longer a barrier to people who have common interests, passions, or projects! Explore the wide, wild world of online communities through this fun, interactive map from XKCD. … [Read more...]

Over on her ArtsJournal blog, Jumper, Diane Ragsdale examines the means versus ends issue discussed by Lyz Crane in our last blog post. The question of whether the arts can truly contribute to community building is still widely debated. She concludes that the path between the two does not have to split, and that arts organizations have long worked to use arts and culture to bring people together. What are your thoughts?     … [Read more...]

ArtPlace America, "works to position arts and culture as a core sector of comprehensive community planning and development." In this article, Lyz Crane, Deputy Director of ArtPlace America, dives into the field of arts-based community development - from the practitioner and researcher point of view. She showcases how many stakeholders can work together to create sustainable communities and reflects on the different terms we use to talk about community, the arts and community development: culture-based development, artist space development, … [Read more...]

How do the arts fit into the many definitions of community? Creative Community Fellows alumna, Director of Art in Praxis and Interim Director of the Bromo Arts District, Jess Solomon shares her perspective in conversation with Marty Pottenger, artist and director of Art at Work. Both artists reflect on the increase of artists who work within communities, and on the unique role that art can play in strengthening and supporting communities: "Art has always been used to make things better, to inspire people, to bring people together. But … [Read more...]

Like people, communities are complex. Communities are not only defined by location, but also by human relationships and needs. In "A Model of Identity and Community", David Pollard shares consultant Aaron Williamson's definition of the four essential elements to a community: he states that communities are groups of people who come together based on shared intent, identity, interest, and experience/capacities. Pollard also addresses the challenges of building community. Communities, he states, self-organize. Nobody can create a community, … [Read more...]