Identity with regard to place (either where we live or where we feel we belong) is a primary issue as we, as a nation, navigate the influences and impacts of localism and devolution. Have we lost our sense of belonging or are we simply finding new ways of defining who we are?
This workshop will bring together artists, service managers, community participants in arts projects and academics to explore what local means to us now and how arts-based approaches for understanding belonging and identity might shape policy-making. We will think through new ways of working that take account of what it means to belong and how this influences identity. We will consider a diverse range of practices that uncover how we understand the local as a ‘felt’ place and will be enquiry led, and employ creative approaches to our exploration of the topic.
As well as cross-sector learning, the event will also ask how the arts and services in a place could or should align their approaches to place shaping so that their efforts are more than the sum of their parts.
- Do the arts strengthen the sense of the local as a ‘felt’ place and if so, how?
- How can this work influence policy making at a local level?
- How can cross service initiatives strengthen a sense of belonging and connectedness?
This roundtable is an opportunity to bring a range of people from the arts community to join those in public services in considering whole place approaches to service delivery and how the arts contributes to this.
This is the second in a series of events that intends to build the case for Creative Localism and will lead to a major RSA report on the state of localism. In undertaking this work, the RSA is grateful for the support of Wiltshire Council, which has been working with volunteers and citizens to co-design local services with local people, reflecting the strengths and aspirations of their communities.
For more information, contact Thomas.Hauschildt@rsa.org.uk
