Culture, Democracy and the Right to Make Art: The British Community Arts Movement

This book explores the community arts movement in the UK, its history, rationale, and modes of working, and assesses its influence on contemporary participatory arts practices. It is funded by the University of Manchester and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 280 pages
\n Publication date: 27 December 2018
\n Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
\n

The community arts movement in the United Kingdom (UK) was a significant and multifaceted creative phenomenon that emerged in the late 1960s as a response to the prevailing social and cultural conditions. It encompassed a wide array of artistic practices, including large-scale processions with elaborate floats and giant puppets, shadow puppet shows, murals, public art installations, events on adventure playgrounds and play schemes, outdoor gatherings, and fire shows. Over time, the movement underwent significant transformation and diversification, leading to its fragmentation and loss of coherence as a unified movement. However, its legacy and influence can still be observed in various diverse contexts today.

This book, titled "Culture, Democracy, and the Right to Make Art," serves as a comprehensive account of the community arts movement in the UK. It explores the historical background, rationales, and modes of operation of the movement in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Part I provides a detailed overview of the movement, shedding light on its origins, evolution, and key players. It delves into the various art forms developed, the collaborative processes employed, and the social and political contexts that shaped the community arts practices of the time.

Part II of the book takes the reader into the present, examining the profound impact of the community arts movement on contemporary participatory arts practices. It assesses the influence of technologies, networks, training, funding, commissioning, and curating socially engaged art in the current landscape. The authors explore how the movement has adapted to changing circumstances and the role it plays in promoting cultural diversity, social inclusion, and democratic engagement.

Through a series of essays written by experts in the field, the book offers a scholarly assessment of the community arts movement's influence on contemporary practice. It explores the ways in which the movement has influenced the development of participatory arts, community engagement, and the democratization of art production and consumption. The authors also examine the challenges and opportunities faced by the community arts movement in the context of the evolving cultural and political landscape.

One of the unique features of this book is its emphasis on the participatory nature of the community arts movement. It recognizes that art is not just a product to be consumed but a means of engagement and empowerment for communities. The movement's emphasis on collaboration, community participation, and the democratization of artistic processes has had a lasting impact on the way

The community arts movement in the UK was a well-known but little understood and largely undocumented creative revolution that began as part of the counter-cultural scene in the late 1960s. A wide range of art forms were developed, including large processions with floats and giant puppets, shadow puppet shows, murals and public art, events on adventure playgrounds.

By the middle of the 1980s community arts had changed and diversified to the point where its fragmentation meant that it could no longer be seen as a coherent movement. Interviews with the early pioneers provide a unique insight into the arts practices of the time.

Culture, Democracy and the Right to Make Art is not simply a history because the legacy and influence of the community arts movement can be seen in a huge range of diverse locations today. Anyone who has ever encountered a community festival or educational project in a gallery or museum or visited a local arts centre could be said to be part of the on-going story of the community arts.

This book is open access and available on www.bloomsburycollections.com . It is funded by the University of Mancheste.

\n Weight: 442g\n
Dimension: 158 x 234 x 13 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781350094888\n \n