Overview

An inspiring, foundational book that defines the burgeoning field of community cultural development. An inspiring, foundational book that defines the burgeoning field of community cultural development. Through personal stories, rousing accounts, detailed observation and histories, Arlene Goldbard describes how communities express and develop themselves via the creative arts. This comprehensive, photographically-illustrated book, which covers community-based arts such as theater grounded in oral history and murals celebrating cultural heritage, will appeal to the curious non-specialist reader as well as the practitioner and student. Author Arlene Goldbard is one of the best-known authors on community cultural development. Her seminal books and essays are widely read in the US and other English-speaking countries -- among them, Community, Culture and Globalization and this book's antecedent, Creative Community.

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9780976605454

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Reviews

Community cultural development may not be an everyday phrase, but it is an important force in fostering strong and lasting relationships with our neighbours and can result in many other far-reaching benefits for all involved. In <em>New Creative Community</em> Arlene Goldbard examines the history, current state and future needs of an often overlooked force in developing healthy communities.</p> By Arlene Goldbard (New Village Press, 2006) Reviewed by Leszek Apouchtine, re: place magazine</p> The fact that many of us may be unfamiliar with the phrase 'community cultural development' is one thing that Arlene Goldbard hopes to change with the help of her book <em>New Creative Community</em>. There are large sections of the book that seek to simply define the term and all that it encompasses. And it encompasses a lot.</p> The end result of the practice of community cultural development will typically be in the form of art, often not just one medium but several, but to call this a book about community art would not do it justice. As Goldbard outlines in this book, community art is an aspect of community cultural development but does not provide a complete picture. At it's best, community cultural development includes not only art, but also social work and education.</p> In one chapter, Goldbard creates a fictitious project that illustrates this practice as it should ideally work. Basically, it entails artists working closely together with members of the community from all ethnicities, races, age groups and backgrounds to form a meaningful dialogue that will result in an art project that properly serves the community. The art can take several forms such as theatre, painting, sculpture, music, writing or computer-based multi-media. The key detail that would separate a project like this from something that we may otherwise label as community art or public art is that the process of engaging the general public and ensuring as many voices as possible are heard and incorporated in the finished project is just as important as the end result.</p> As Goldbard says: What makes community cultural development different from clever advertising, do-it-yourself crafts kits, advanced art or inspiring protest songs is that its means and ends are one. </p> Reading this book reminded me a lot of the last book I reviewed, from the same publisher, Karl Linn's <em>Building Commons and Community</em>. His focus is on constructing public spaces that the public will actually use and enjoy. The main part of his building process is also heavily reliant on input and involvement from the community that his space will serve. Both Linn and Goldbard appreciate the significant difference in working on a project with the community that it is meant to serve or represent, as opposed to a project where a handful of individuals who are in a privileged position decide how to construct a park or build an outdoor sculpture. An example of public art being installed without community involvement, and the anger that results, can be seen clearly in a recent posting on Frances Bula's blog, State of Vancouver. Opinion in the comments section is definitely divided, but if this was part of an ideal community cultural development project than those differing points of view would have come out in the process of choosing an appropriate art project to represent the community.</p> Goldbard expresses in detail how this process should ideally work and why it is increasingly difficult to do so. Although writing from the U.S., and using many American examples, her investigation into the state of this practice is still relevant in Canada and elsewhere. It is an incredibly in-depth look at how creative community development has changed over the years, the theories behind it, what it can achieve and what it needs to grow and thrive in the future. She puts forth a convincing case that this form of community involvement is vital for a population to truly understand one another and to resolve conflicts - whether small, personal squabbles or larger issues that we let divide us such as class or race.</p> There is also a clever look at the stumbling blocks that this practice faces and ways that this could be overcome. Funding, for example, is one huge obstacle. It appears that the complexity of this holistic approach to cultural development that makes it so worthwhile and important is also the thing that makes it a challenge when trying to get get grants or other funds. A project may provide several benefits to a community, but without something that produces results that can be analyzed on a spreadsheet, it is hard to get donors to part with cash.</p> Although this book covers so many aspects of community cultural development and also the importance of culture in general, it would have been beneficial to see more real-life examples in detail. Although projects are often referred to in the text, it is usually only in reference to one or two specific aspects. It probably would have been quite inspiring to examine a real-life community cultural development project from it's first inception through to a completed project and some affects that it had on the people it was meant to serve. Overall, though, <em>New Creative</em> <em>Community</em> does cover a lot of ground from theory to practice.</p> It is an impressive feat that Goldbard achieves in this book, giving the reader such an appreciation and understanding of this concept that one is left wondering why community cultural development isn't something that is an essential part of all our lives. Goldbard equates it with with universal education and the provision of emergency health care. After reading the passionate and convincing arguements laid out by Goldbard, it is hard to disagree.</p> ***</p> Leszek Apouchtine is one of the founding editors at <em>re: place</em>. He is now working on a new website devoted to going out in Vancouver, which is planned to launch in September, 2009.</p>--Leszek Apouchtine re: place magazine (09/09/2009)

<br> It is an impressive feat that Goldbard achieves in this book, giving the reader such an appreciation and understanding of this concept that one is left wondering why community cultural development isn't something that is an essential part of all our lives. Goldbard equates it with with universal education and the provision of emergency health care. After reading the passionate and convincing arguements laid out by Goldbard, it is hard to disagree. <br>- Leszek Apouchtine, re: place magazine <br> Arlene Goldbard is one of those writers who not only writes about culture - she lives culture. She manages both to persuade us about her research but also convince us about the importance of community cultural development, which is why her latest book should be read not only by those interested in community cultural development but moreover by those who still need to learn and understand why is it so important. <br>- Culturelink Network <br> Goldbard gathers [remarkable s

<br> It is an impressive feat that Goldbard achieves in this book, giving the reader such an appreciation and understanding of this concept that one is left wondering why community cultural development isn't something that is an essential part of all our lives. Goldbard equates it with with universal education and the provision of emergency health care. After reading the passionate and convincing arguements laid out by Goldbard, it is hard to disagree. <br><br>- Leszek Apouchtine, re: place magazine <br><br> Arlene Goldbard is one of those writers who not only writes about culture - she lives culture. She manages both to persuade us about her research but also convince us about the importance of community cultural development, which is why her latest book should be read not only by those interested in community cultural development but moreover by those who still need to learn and understand why is it so important. <br><br>- Culturelink Network <br><br> Goldbard gathers [remarkable stories] to show how arts projects can restore the spirit and animate the hopes of struggling communities. But more than just inspiring us, she offers a wealth of details about how this work is conceived and carried out, which is invaluable to anyone wanting to see something similar happen in their own town or neighborhood. <br><br>- Jay Walljasper, PUBLIC ART REVIEW, VOL. 19 NO. 2, ISSUE 38

It is an impressive feat that Goldbard achieves in this book, giving the reader such an appreciation and understanding of this concept that one is left wondering why community cultural development isn't something that is an essential part of all our lives. Goldbard equates it with with universal education and the provision of emergency health care. After reading the passionate and convincing arguments laid out by Goldbard, it is hard to disagree. --Leszek Apouchtine, re: place magazine Arlene Goldbard is one of those writers who not only writes about culture--she lives culture. She manages both to persuade us about her research but also convince us about the importance of community cultural development, which is why her latest book should be read not only by those interested in community cultural development but moreover by those who still need to learn and understand why is it so important. -- Culturelink Network Goldbard gathers [remarkable stories] to show how arts projects can restore the spirit and animate the hopes of struggling communities. But more than just inspiring us, she offers a wealth of details about how this work is conceived and carried out, which is invaluable to anyone wanting to see something similar happen in their own town or neighborhood. --Jay Walljasper, PUBLIC ART REVIEW, VOL. 19 NO. 2, ISSUE 38 At first glance, Alene Goldbard's book, New Creative Community--The Art of Cultural Development , seems tangential to mainstream community development, but that's far from the case as this work is based on strong values and principles... values and principles that are harmonious with community development. --Bernie Jones and Maryo Gard Ewell, Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society

Author Information

Arlene Goldbard is a New Mexico–based writer, visual artist, speaker, consultant, and cultural activist. She is the author of multiple papers, reports, and books, including New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development, and her essays have appeared in Art in America, The Independent, High Performance, and Tikkun. She is Chief Policy Wonk Emerita of the US Department of Arts and Culture and was one of 2015’s “fifty most powerful and influential people in the nonprofit arts.” She is a 2019 recipient of the Randy Martin Spirit Award from Imagining America. Goldbard cohosts the podcast, A Culture of Possibility, with Francois Matarasso.

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