Arts Steps

Steps to Developing Communities through the Arts

1. Your vision might not be anyone else’s vision.


Not all communities are the same. Communities are unique and diverse, just like people. You might have great visions of what happened in the last community you were in, or want to try to replicate something that ‘went off’ somewhere else. But these ideas might be far from what the community itself wants. Keep your own ambitions broad and flexible. Focus on making a difference for that particular community, rather than what you would like to see happen.

2. Never assume that anyone actually knows what they want, or that they know how to articulate it (even you!).

People can’t ask for something they know nothing about or have never experienced before. On similar lines, engagement in the arts may feel good and you enjoy doing it, but try to explaining to someone why you like listening to music, what made you hang that particular print in your lounge room, or why you never missed a social dance event at the local RSL club. Sometimes it’s easier to just do it, rather than try to explain it. You can also try using examples, go on outings to see what other people are doing, or try new things on a small scale to give the community a taste of what is possible.

3. Plant seeds of ideas and assist them to grow, develop and evolve, rather than imposing your plan on the community.

Not imposing your vision or plan on the community does not mean you sit back and wait for them to tell you what they want. Think of your role as a facilitator, the ideas person, providing inspiration, motivation and logistics. Once people know they want something, and have confident in their ability to achieve it, then anything is possible.

4. Big visions, small steps.


There is no harm in thinking big. The most ambitious of projects, ideas and outcomes are achievable, and it’s great to have longer term goals. However, failure to achieve big visions can be extremely disheartening and may even result in the current situation being worse than when you started. Think big, but start off slow and work on short term easy-to-achieve goals as you work towards your utopian community dream.