Community art, also known as social art, community-engaged art, community-based art, and, rarely, dialogical art, is the practice of art based in and generated in a community setting. It is closely related to

social practice Social practice is a theory within psychology that seeks to determine the link between practice and context within social situations. Emphasized as a commitment to change, social practice occurs in two forms: activity and inquiry. Most often ...

and social turn. Works in this form can be of any media and are characterized by interaction or dialogue with the community. Professional artists may collaborate with communities which may not normally engage in the arts. The term was defined in the late 1960s as the practice grew in the United States, Canada, the

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, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia. In

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

, the term "community art" more often refers to contemporary art projects. Community art is a community-oriented, grassroots approach, often useful in economically depressed areas. When local community members come together to express concerns or issues through this artistic practice, professional artists or actors may be involved. This artistic practice can act as a catalyst to trigger events or changes within a community or at a national or international level. In English-speaking countries, community art is often seen as the work of community arts centers, where visual arts (fine art, video,

new media art New media art includes artworks designed and produced by means of electronic media technologies, comprising virtual art, computer graphics, computer animation, digital art, interactive art, sound art, Internet art, video games, robotics, 3D pri ...

), music, and theater are common media. Many arts organizations in the United Kingdom do community-based work, which typically involves developing participation by non-professional members of local communities.

Community art and public art

The term "community art" may also apply to public art efforts when, in addition to the collaborative community artistic process, the resulting product is intended as public art and installed in public space. Popular community art approaches to public art can include environmental sustainability themes associated with urban revitalization projects.

Forms of collaborative practices

Models of community-engaged arts can vary with three forms of collaborative practices emerging from among the sets of common practices. In the artist-driven model, artists are seen as the catalysts for social change through the social commentary addressed in their works. A muralist whose work elicits and sustains political dialogue would be a practitioner of this model. In the second model, artists engage with community groups to facilitate specialized forms of art creation, often with the goal of presenting the work in a public forum to promote awareness and to further discourse within a larger community. In the process-driven or dialogic model, artists may engage with a group to facilitate an artistic process that addresses particular concerns specific to the group. The use of an artistic process (such as dance or social circus) for problem-solving, therapeutic, group-empowerment or strategic planning purposes may result in artistic works that are not intended for public presentation. In the second and third models, the individuals who collaborate on the artistic creation may not define themselves as artists but are considered practitioners of an art-making process that produces social change. Due to its roots in social justice and collaborative, community-based nature, art for social change may be considered a form of cultural democracy. Often, the processes (or the works produced by these processes) intend to create or promote spaces for participatory public dialogue. In Canada, the field of community-engaged arts has recently seen broader use of art for social change practices by non-arts change organizations. The resultant partnerships have enabled these collaborative communities to address systemic issues in health, education, as well as empowerment for indigenous, immigrant, LGBT and youth communities. A similar social innovation trend has appeared where business development associations have engaged with artists/artistic organizations to co-produce cultural festivals or events that address social concerns. As the field diversifies and practices are adopted by various organizations from multiple disciplines, ethics and safety have become a concern to practitioner

As a result, opportunities for cross-disciplinary training in art for social change practices have grown within the related field of Arts in education, arts education.

Online community art

A community can be seen in many ways, it can refer to different kind of groups. There are also

virtual communities A virtual community is a social network of individuals who connect through specific social media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals. Some of the most pervasive virtual communi ...

or online communities. Internet art has many different forms, but often there is some kind of community that is created for a project or it is an effect of an art project.

Community theatre

Community theatre Community theatre refers to any theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a community with no outside hel ...

includes theatre made by, with, and for a community—it may refer to theatre that is made almost by a community with no outside help, or to a collaboration between community members and professional theatre artists, or to performance made entirely by professionals that is addressed to a particular community. Community theatres range in size from small groups led by single individuals that perform in borrowed spaces to large permanent companies with well-equipped facilities of their own. Many community theatres are successful, non-profit businesses with a large active membership and, often, a full-time professional staff. Community theatre is often devised and may draw on popular theatrical forms, such as

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

, and

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

s, as well as performance modes from commercial theatre. Community theatre is understood to contribute to the

social capital Social capital is "the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively". It involves the effective functioning of social groups through interpersonal relationships ...

of a community, insofar as it develops the skills, community spirit, and artistic sensibilities of those who participate, whether as producers or audience-members.

Community-engaged dance

Community-engaged dance includes dance made by, with, and for a community. There are several models for creating community-engaged dance, primarily concerned with participatory art practices and cooperative values. Community-engaged dance generally focuses on exploration, creation and relationship building rather than technical skills development. Like community theatre, community-engaged dance is understood to contribute to the

of a community, insofar as it develops the skills, community spirit, and artistic sensibilities of those who participate, whether as producers or audience-members.

Benefits of Community Art

Many communities have some form of art institution that furthers their community by providing access to activities and programs the government or other institutions cannot provide. These community based art centers or nonprofit organizations are at the forefront of bringing emotional and physical wellness to the communities they reside in. All art community nonprofits have different programs, these “programs can focus on building community, increasing awareness..,developing creativity, or addressing common issues.” The creative and relaxed environment of these programs makes it a therapeutic way for individuals to express themselves without fear of repercussions. Individuals who live in a town that hosts an art community or nonprofit more often than not contribute money and time into the organization more than they think. This Is a good thing as nonprofits help to bolster their community by creating a culture of art. This essentially means that nonprofits provide that outlet for individuals to create, and showcase their artistic talents. Having an art institution or nonprofit is a cathartic way for individuals to express themselves, as well as economically many businesses benefit from having nonprofits in their towns. Many art institutions provide lots of programs and services like art classes for painting or drawing etc.. for the young, old and everyone in between. It is vital to the continuation of the organization to keep the love of art alive in younger generations. One of the most important aspects of a program offered at an art institution or nonprofit organization is that it provides the participant with a stress free and fun experience. Art is a great tool that helps in reducing stress, anxiety, and is helpful to move towards healing. One prominent non-profit organization that is proficient in helping underprivileged communities and families is “Free Arts for Abused Children” out of Los Angeles. This organization focuses on bringing families together through art, and allowing children and families to express their artistic abilities and feelings in a safe environment. This is a perfect example of why art can make such a difference within a community, as it is vital for many individuals and families to reach a place of healing.

Notable artists

Jerri Allyn Jerri Allyn is an American feminist performance, installation artist and educator based in Los Angeles, California. Biography Allyn earned an M.A. in Art and Community from Goddard College in 1978 and also attended The Feminist Studio Workshop ...

Judith F. Baca Judith Francisca Baca (born September 20, 1946) is an American artist, activist, and professor of Chicano studies, world arts, and cultures based at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the co-founder and artistic director of the Soc ...

Joseph Beuys Joseph Heinrich Beuys ( , ; 12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German artist, teacher, performance artist, and art theorist whose work reflected concepts of humanism, sociology, and anthroposophy. He was a founder of a provocative art mov ...

Helen Crummy Helen Crummy MBE (10 May 1920 – 11 July 2011) was a founder of The Craigmillar Festival Society, and served as the Organising Secretary for the group until 1985. Biography Helen Crummy was born in Leith, Helen Murray Prentice. She became on ...

Harrell Fletcher Harrell Fletcher (born 1967 in Santa Maria, California) is an American social practice and relational aesthetics artist and professor, living in Portland, Oregon. Biography Harrell Fletcher was born in 1967 in Santa Maria, California and att ...

Robert Hooks Robert Hooks (born Bobby Dean Hooks; April 18, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and activist. Along with Douglas Turner Ward and Gerald S. Krone, he founded The Negro Ensemble Company. The Negro Ensemble Company is credited with the laun ...

* Ruth Howard *

Karen Jamieson Karen Jamieson (born July 10, 1946) is a Canadian dancer, choreographer, and mentor located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is the founder and artistic director of Karen Jamieson Dance Company, a non-profit contemporary dance company ...

* künstlerinnenkollektiv marsie (Simone Etter) *

JR (artist) JR (; born 22 February 1983) is the pseudonym of a French photographer and street artist. JR stands for the initials of JR's first name, which is Jean-René. Describing himself as a ''photograffeur'' (a portmanteau of "photographer" and " graf ...

, *

Paul Kuniholm Paul Kuniholm is a heritage-connected public artist who creates art embodying sculptural objects, sculpture both fugitive and durable, art using digital material, wearable art intervention, video, mural art, and various time-based artwork tha ...

* Suzanne Lacy *

Alan Lyddiard Alan Lyddiard (born Michael Hadland Kent; 1949 in London) is a theatre and film director, best known as an advocate of community arts and the ensemble theatre model in the UK. Lyddiard was Artistic Director of Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne ...

Royston Maldoom Royston Maldoom, (born 1943) is a British choreographer whose works, including ''Adagietto'' and ''Ursprung'', have been performed for various dance companies, such as The Jefferson Dancers and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Dance, choreography and ...

Adrian Piper Adrian Margaret Smith Piper (born September 20, 1948) is an American conceptual artist and Kantian philosopher. Her work addresses how and why those involved in more than one discipline may experience professional ostracism, otherness, racial ...

Mierle Laderman Ukeles Mierle Laderman Ukeles (born 1939) is a New York City-based artist known for her feminist and service-oriented artworks, which relate the idea of process in conceptual art to domestic and civic "maintenance". She has been the Artist-in-Residence ...

Community arts center

Self Help Graphics & Art Self-Help Graphics & Art, Inc. is a community arts center with a mix Beaux-Arts and vernacular architecture in East Los Angeles, California, United States. The building was built in 1927, and was designed by Postle & Postle. Formed during the cul ...