Meeting Summary – Community of Practice Gathering March 2024

The ArtWorks Alliance gathering on March 19th, 2024, was an engaging event that brought together participatory artists and practitioners to delve into the evolving landscape of participatory arts. Facilitated by Adrian Sinclair from Union Arts, the gathering centered on enhancing communication, collaboration, and community practice beyond traditional boundaries. This blog post aims to synthesize the topics covered and outline the direction for future discussions and activities within the alliance.

Download the Full Summary Here

Key Themes and Insights:

• Community and Practice: The gathering highlighted the essence of ArtWorks Alliance as a vibrant community of practice, underscored by a shared passion for participatory arts. Discussions focused on future plans, the importance of community, connection, and the development of resources to support individual and collective practice.
• Diverse Participation: Attendees’ motivations for joining the gathering varied from curiosity and exploration to nourishment, community, contribution, networking, and learning. This diversity underscores the multifaceted appeal and the role of the gathering as a platform for engagement, development, and collaboration.
• Strategic Breakout Discussions: Organised around five thematic areas—Activism, Social Change, and Climate Change; Ethics, Good Practice, and Models; Wellbeing, Health, and Impact; Mentoring, Career Development, and Training; Lucky Dip—the breakout sessions facilitated deep dives into specific areas of interest. These sessions aimed to harness collective knowledge and experience to foster collaboration and identify opportunities for action.
• Feedback and Reflections: The use of digital tools like Mentimeter facilitated a rich exchange of ideas and reflections. Key feedback included the value of meetings, the experiential nature of a Community of Practice (CoP), the importance of collaboration over competitiveness, and the necessity of both online and face-to-face meetings to accommodate diverse needs.
• Themes for Future Focus: Discussions identified critical areas for the alliance’s development, including support for freelancers, advocacy, community expansion, learning and development, collaboration, and co-creation. These areas reflect the complex challenges and aspirations within the participatory arts community.
• Offering Support: Participants expressed a strong willingness to contribute their skills, experience, and resources, ranging from enhancing communication strategies to sharing expertise in specific sectors. These offers highlight a collective commitment to the alliance’s development as a self-organising community of practice.

Moving Forward:
The insights from the gathering underscore the importance of continued engagement, feedback, and collaboration as we develop the ArtWorks Alliance further. The document outlining the gathering’s outcomes is a draft, poised for iterative development through additional sessions, stakeholder engagement, and member feedback. This developmental approach ensures that our strategies and objectives evolve in alignment with our community’s needs and aspirations.

Future discussions will continue to build on the themes and ideas explored, incorporating a wide range of perspectives to enrich our community of practice. By fostering an environment of open dialogue, mutual support, and shared learning, we aim to enhance the impact and reach of participatory arts, advocating for its transformative power in creating social change.

As we move forward, we invite all members, stakeholders, partners, and supportive guides to actively participate in shaping the future of the ArtWorks Alliance. Together, we will navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead, strengthening our community and amplifying the role of participatory arts in society.