Nineteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Co-creation and curation of art projects in a growing field of interest in our world. Giving agency to communities to set agendas for their own areas is a key driver in devolving power. But how can we ensure that we are truly and honestly providing agency to make decisions around local regeneration and cultural place making initiatives when people are coming to the table with mixed skills, goals and experiences? How can we support a creative and collective decision making model that not only ensures parity of voice but also brings about skills development and authentic ownership? Using the practice based work of Take A Part CIO (UK), this presentation explores the fundamentals of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD), Arnstein’s Ladder of Empowerment and discusses how they have been applied to long form cultural placemaking initiatives in Plymouth. What is the learning, what are the ethics and what are the failures within the practice that have shifted the work of Take A Part as it works now to share its models across the UK and within international contexts (Ireland, India etc). What is an ethical framework of best practice within the art form and how do we know that we are performing it? This research, supported by Manchester Metropolitan University/University of Plymouth, explores these agendas.