Mapping the Landscape of Socially Engaged Artistic Practice

Alexis Frasz and Holly Sidford
Helicon Collaborative, 2017

RESOURCE OVERVIEW

This report gives an overview and some examples of the role of a socially-engaged and community-based artist, differentiating them from a studio artist, for example. A social practice artist uses art, activism, and community engagement to work towards community and/or local government goals.

KEY SECTIONS

Facilitating Community Processes

Page 11-13 shares findings of what “socially engaged art” is, through literature reviews and in-depth interviews.

Page 14-18 identifies nine attributes that can be used to describe and categorize socially engaged artists and provides links to projects that fall across these spectrums. This section is particularly useful for giving credibility and vocabulary to projects that may seem very different from what local government staff are used to working on.

Page 28-37 provides short case studies of socially engaged art.