This resource is also available in French. Click here to access the French version.
The arts bring life to our communities. It sparks joy. It teaches. It connects. It asks us to see things differently. But so often when the arts are used in community engagement activities it feels like an add-on, a sidebar. As we continue the migration from more traditional community engagement—that tends to rely on surveys and is more transactional in nature—to transformational engagement that seeks to authentically connect, listen, understand, and empower, arts practices have so much to offer
This article is for the community engagement practitioner who wants to breathe more life into the engagements they are designing. For the municipality who desperately wants to connect with community members in more creative ways. For the planner who feels more comfortable with quantitative processes but wants to stretch themselves. For the strategy facilitator who wants to create spaces for stakeholders to imagine. We invite you on a learning journey to try something new.
