Transcript Slide 1

The Arts and Social Wellbeing in
Rural and Regional WA Communities
ARC Research Partnership:
Institute of Regional Development - UWA
Country Arts WA
WA Department of Culture and the Arts
The Arts and Social Wellbeing in Rural
and Regional WA Communities
This project will focus on the role that ‘active
participation’ in the arts plays in engendering
wellbeing in the rural and regional
communities of the Mid-West region of
Western Australia.
Project Objective
This project aims to explore the role of the
arts in contributing to wellbeing by fostering:
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social connectivity;
community cohesion;
social inclusion;
trust and reciprocity.
Study Approach
Drawing on a range of
– Social;
– Economic; and
– Geographical contexts.
Through
– Quantitative; and
– Qualitative assessment.
The Mid-West Region
The Mid-West Region
The Mid West covers an area of some 472,000
square kilometres and incorporating 17 local
government areas. The economy of the region is
predominantly based on:
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mixed crop and livestock farming;
extensive pastoralism;
mining;
fishing and
tourism
(Department of Local Government and Regional Development, 2003).
Range of Communities
The population geography of the region is
quite diverse and is sharply divided
between growing coastal settlements linked
to fishing and tourism, and declining or
stable inland communities dependent on
agriculture and mining.
Study Area Suitability
The Mid-West is an ideal area for this study
for number of reasons:
– Diversity of settlement types, ranging in size from a large
regional centre, (Geraldton pop 20,000) to a number of small
remote settlements. (mining, agricultural and Aboriginal lands)
– Country Arts WA focus region 2004 – 2008
– Builds on work of research partners IRD, examining relationship
between social wellbeing and participation in sporting clubs.
Local Social Issues/Impacts
Diversity across community types:
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Population growth / decline (coastal/rural)
Dominant economies (mining, agriculture, tourism)
Impact of Minerals boom (differential in earnings, services)
Considerable Indigenous population (5-10% across region)
Social Capital
“features of social life – networks, norms and
trust – that enable participants to act together
to pursue shared objectives”
(Putnam, 1995, p. 64-65)
“social fabric or glue”
(Cox 1995, p. 15)
Social Capital
• At the heart of the concept is the importance of
social linkages based on trust and reciprocity.
• Key indicators of social capital include
participation in community activities, levels of
volunteerism, the strength of social networks, levels
of trust and confidence in institutions and fellow
citizens, and a sense of local community pride
(Field, 2003).
• Link between Social Capital and Social Wellbeing
Art and Social Wellbeing
There is a growing body of work examining
the contribution of the arts to social
wellbeing on both a small and large scale:
– Victorian Community Indicators Project (VicHealth and
partners).
– Small Towns: Big Picture Project (CDN - Dr Maureen Rodgers).
Art and Social Wellbeing
A number of prominent arts and cultural
commentators have also put weight to the
notion that the arts might play a crucial role
in promoting social wellbeing.
(Williams, 1995; Hawkes, 2001; Mills & Brown, 2004).
Active/Passive – Creative/Receptive
Participation in the arts is usually defined as:
Creative or Active:
– Involved in the ‘making’ of music, visual arts, theatre, dance,
writing and literature, arts and craft. (see Gibson et al., 2002).
Receptive or Passive:
– Involved in watching, observing a cultural event or purchasing
of a product or event. (Marceau & Davison, 2004).
Past Research –
Qualitative/ Quantitative Analysis.
• major criticism of research on the links between the
arts and social wellbeing to date is that there is a
tendency for these studies to be highly qualitative
and based on the analysis of a single community
(Reeves, 2002; IFACCA, 2004).
• need for a better mixture of qualitative and
quantitative research that is able to provide a
better feel for the geographical differences
between places
(Marceau and Davison 2004).
The Mid-West ARC Project
It will examine the:
– Social, economic and geographical variables that influence
creative and receptive participation in the arts in a rural
region;
– Role of the arts in contributing to a range of social wellbeing
indicators, including those of social connectivity, community
engagement, sense of belonging, social inclusion, and a sense
of trust and reciprocity;
– Links between the arts and the formation of social capital;
– Role of government funded and non-government funded arts
programmes in fostering social wellbeing.
Research will explore
– Nature of creative and receptive participation in the
arts at regional, sub-regional, and local scales. – Region
wide based approach, 17 LGA areas.
– Diverse set of rural communities - to explore the arts and
social wellbeing in a range of very different environments.
– Social organisation of rural communities - this project
will build upon, and add to, existing research in this area.
Research will explore
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New insights into the nature of social capital building on this analysis of the social organisation of rural
communities.
Multi-method based - using a balance of quantitative and
qualitative methodologies.
Contribution to knowledge on the links between
social wellbeing and the arts - through robust
methodology providing important theoretical and empirical
implications for the arts and social wellbeing.
Research Methodology
• Existing Secondary Data Sources
• Questionnaire Survey of Households
• Survey of Community Organisations with an
Interest in the Arts
• Participant Observation and Informal
Interviews
• Data Analysis & Report Writing
• Communication of Results
Research Timeline
Year 1 (2007): Initial overview and assessment
– Review of the literature on the areas of theory and research in
relation to the arts, social wellbeing and rural social and
economic change. Undertake the analysis of secondary sources.
– Commence the analysis of organisations with interests in the
arts.
– Begin the fieldwork in the Mid West and informal interviews.
Research Timeline
Year 2 (2008): Gathering and analysis of data
– Undertake the questionnaire survey.
– Continue the survey of organisations with interests in the arts.
– Continue fieldwork and informal interviews in the case study
region.
– Input survey data into SPSS and transcribe interview and field
data.
Research Timeline
Year 3 (2009): Completion of data gathering
and report writing
– Complete the analysis of survey data, and further interviews
with relevant stakeholders as required.
– Attend a relevant international or national conference to present
findings.
– From the data gathered during the project, together with a
systematic consideration of broader theoretical issues, complete
the writing of report.
Images
Awesome Arts: Creative Challenge Program, Images Poppy Van
Oorde-Grainger
Country Arts WA:‘Blink’ project, Meeka: images Nat Brunovs
Various projects
ACDC – Geraldton
Maps – ABS and Mid West Development Commission
Marty Cunningham, Manager, Research & Information,
The Dept. of Culture & the Arts (WA)
Marty Cunningham has worked extensively in the arts and cultural sector as a community
cultural development worker, circus and theatre performer, arts administrator, and local
government Youth Arts Officer and Community Development Officer. Marty currently
heads the newly formed research and information team at the WA Department of Culture
and the Arts. He has served on a number of boards, including the Community Cultural
Development Board of the Australia Council for the Arts, the ArtsWA Arts Development
Panel, and as the chair of Propelarts, the Western Australian youth arts network.
Proceedings of the ‘Expanding Cultures’ conference, Melbourne, July 2007
Hosted by the City of Stonnington, supported by the Cities of Yarra, Melbourne,
Moreland, Maribyrnong, Moonee Valley, Boroondara and Port Phillip and the Cultural
Development Network www.culturaldevelopment.net.au/expandingcultures