We are acknowledged experts in the field of socially engaged arts practice and have delivered projects and seminars across the UK and Europe. No, it isn't social work, though there are social outcomes from our work, the art always remains at the centre of what we do.
Our methodology was recently summed up by one of our US partners, performance poet and artist Tim Mason as a series of four stages:
Often projects start at points 3 and 4, bypassing the first two. We never proscribe what we are going to do until we find out what are the concerns and needs of the people involved in the project. the approach generates the unique contrent for each project we produce. For example we were asked to make a mural with a group of young people. After meeting with them and working out our relationship we actually ended with a website (www.not_art.co.uk now, sadly defunct) and a huge billboard campaign, attempting to 'brand' their town.
We are fiercely independent and, as a consequence, operate with neutrality in the communities we work with, we leave our own agendas at home and respond to what we uncover during our research. This means we often act as brokers between community members and public sector agencies, and are adept at maintaining our balance between sometimes differing agendas.
Whilst we always keep the art at the centre of everything we do, there are often other outcomes from our activity. From confidence-building, to routes to employment and training, many of the people we work with have enjoyed added benefits to getting involved in our cultural projects.
