{"id":5903,"date":"2020-04-22T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/?p=5903"},"modified":"2020-04-20T14:05:58","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T18:05:58","slug":"community-citizenship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2020\/04\/community-citizenship\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Citizenship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Do you consider your organization’s deepest responsibility to be to art or to people? I don’t mean what is your mission. (That’s a question for another time.) Rather, in extreme instances, what is most important? If many in your community are hurting is your focus on art? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tendency to focus on art almost exclusively is one reason people outside of the arts view our work as insular, out of touch, and\/or irrelevant. In times of crisis, such focus on art comes across as tone deaf. Epochal moments require a reframing of perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without question, today the world is in crisis mode. Arts organizations, like all individuals and organizations, are struggling to figure out how to survive. I would argue, however, that given some people’s impression of the world of the arts as meaningless to them, now is an ideal time to demonstrate that we are reliable citizens. We are all looking for good news; plus, since for many “the arts as helper” is a counter-narrative, efforts could get considerable play. As but one example among many, Erie Arts and Culture is distributing face masks made by a local immigrant artist<\/a>. Certainly art is a part of this, but that artist’s and EAC’s obvious main motivation is providing the community with something it needs on a very practical level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have long suggested that one way an arts organization can develop relationships is by providing goods or services that do not cost the organization much but are of considerable value to people in the community\u2013space, expertise, or equipment (e.g.<\/em>, a portable generator for charging cell phones after a natural disaster). Getting this right simply requires an acknowledgment that the organization, like any individual, has some level of responsibility for the well-being of members of the community; and, of course, it must have enough external focus to know what needs exist in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spite of the difficulties we all face, we have a responsibility (and, perhaps, an opportunity) as community citizens to pull together in meeting the grave challenges of this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engage!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doug<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some rights reserved<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0obaxterlovo<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On being good community citizens in a time of grave crisis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Community Citizenship: On being good community citizens in a time of grave crisis.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,10],"tags":[12,13,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-5903","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-principles","8":"category-the-practice-of-engagement","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-community-engagement","11":"tag-relationships","12":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Hands.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1G6h9-1xd","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4664,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2016\/10\/keep-it-simple\/","url_meta":{"origin":5903,"position":0},"title":"Keep It Simple","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"October 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Community engagement must begin with simple steps. Examples of big projects can make CE seem impossible.","rel":"","context":"In "The Practice of Engagement"","block_context":{"text":"The Practice of Engagement","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/the-practice-of-engagement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Simple-e1472756140889.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5015,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2017\/09\/evaluating-engagement-outcomes\/","url_meta":{"origin":5903,"position":1},"title":"Evaluating Engagement: Outcomes","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"September 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Evaluating Engagement: Outcomes as a follow up to an earlier post on evaluating engagement processes","rel":"","context":"In "The Practice of Engagement"","block_context":{"text":"The Practice of Engagement","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/the-practice-of-engagement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Clipboard.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5729,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2019\/10\/doomed-to-fail\/","url_meta":{"origin":5903,"position":2},"title":"Doomed to Fail","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"October 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Diversity, equity, and inclusion are vital to the future of the arts. The commitment to community that community engagement requires is an essential foundation upon which to build efforts in DEI.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Fail.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5943,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2020\/05\/what-comes-next-iv\/","url_meta":{"origin":5903,"position":3},"title":"What Comes Next? IV","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"May 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Our industry has long needed to significantly expand its reach. The pandemic has not lessened that need. Stepping up now and then continuing to focus on addressing community concerns is a means of accomplishing that. It's in our long-term interest to do so.","rel":"","context":"In "Overview"","block_context":{"text":"Overview","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/overview\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Danger.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5452,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2018\/11\/understanding-engagement\/","url_meta":{"origin":5903,"position":4},"title":"Understanding Engagement","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"November 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Announcing the availability of a new resource presenting basic concepts essential to understanding the potential that community engagement represents for arts organizations.","rel":"","context":"In "The Practice of Engagement"","block_context":{"text":"The Practice of Engagement","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/the-practice-of-engagement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/CommunityEngagementLogos-V-2017-Final-2.44.07-PM-212x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2105,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2012\/10\/how-to-engage\/","url_meta":{"origin":5903,"position":5},"title":"How to Engage","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"October 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I have been spending time of late trying to figure out the best path to engagement on the part of arts organizations. 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