In my two previous posts I have been exploring the question of excellence as it applies to community engagement in the arts. (Excellence and Engagement: 1; Excellence and Engagement: II)  Here, I want to address issues of equity and respect for communities in this context. Equity A complicating factor in discussions of excellence is the issue of equity. The arts of the European aristocratic cultural tradition have benefited for centuries from … [Read more...]

Last time I began a discussion of excellence in community engagement, saying "Advocates for community engagement in the arts often get pushback from people who assume that concern for the interests of our communities necessitates a 'lowering of standards.'" This time I continue with a consideration of three potential categories of excellence that are often not part of our discussions in the arts. Participatory Experiences Rather than focus on … [Read more...]

Advocates for community engagement in the arts often get pushback from people who assume that concern for the interests of our communities necessitates a “lowering of standards.” What follows is my attempt to address the misgivings (legitimate and otherwise) people have and to address them as clearly as I can. It is intended almost exclusively for arts organizations. Artists should be perfectly free to approach their art in whatever way seems … [Read more...]

There are, of course, many things that community engagement is not. High on that list is "a magical elixir to cure all of the nonprofit arts industry's ills." At best it can position organizations for greater viability by significantly increasing donor and attendee reach. That comes to pass by being seen as valuable by much larger percentages of the population than is the case at the moment. Addressing more common and smaller issues, engagement … [Read more...]