THE ROLE OF CONTEMPORARY ART IN PLACE-MAKING,
CREATIVE CITIZENSHIP AND INTERPRETATIONS OF HERITAGE
Anna POWELL & Steve SWINDELLS
University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom, a.powell@hud.ac.uk & s.p.swindells@hud.ac.uk
A 2011 issue of Public Art Review noted that, ‘There is a dearth of research efforts
focusing on art and its impact. The evidence is mostly anecdotal. Some attempts
have focused specifically on economic impact, but this doesn't tell the whole story, or
even the most important stories.’
When considering the cultural value of contemporary art within a locale, a
fundamental question might be its role in initiating dialogues with its community, and
how these dialogues might contribute to concepts such as ‘place-making’, ‘cultural
citizenship’, pride, ownership and identity. As early as 1958, long before Nicolas
Bourriaud explored art's relationality (1998), Raymond Williams described the
‘ordinariness’ of culture and the extent to which the arts are part of social
organisation. Artist Joseph Beuys similarly asserted, in his exploration of 'social
sculpture' that, 'aesthetics=human being' (1973).
So what does it mean to be an ‘engaged’ artist’ working with a community’? How can
contemporary art projects help to instill a sense of belonging, and how can members
of community be transformed into ‘creative citizens’? Further, how can contemporary
art be utilised within heritage settings to help articulate a sense of place and to aid
interpretation of history and heritage?
This papers addresses our current research into public engagement in art and
design, drawing on our on-going partnership exhibitions programme with
Huddersfield Art Gallery (ROTOR), while discussing the findings to-date of
'Intersecting Practices' - our collaborative Research Group which explores the role of
contemporary art in heritage spaces.