We want Excavate to stimulate debate. About art, community, and politics. We want to encourage people to come together to argue and to think about how this type of work can have any real meaningful impact. We don’t want to be complacent. We don’t want to assume anything. We want to be provocative. We want our projects to be action research projects. We want to learn.
Over the last few years we have been drawn into unexpected contexts, where we have had to explain the power of community storytelling; especially within the field of applied academic research. We have also had to fight our corner to be able to prove this value, and to ensure that the work we do is not seen as an adjunct but is central to the way that projects are structured and run. We have written about this and we have run workshops about this; but we want to do much more.
We have made friends with those from across the world who engage with community arts / participatory arts / socially engaged arts. We know that the work is hard and usually poorly paid; but we also know that in an ever polarised and alienated world that findings ways to tell and share stories to each other – preferably in the same place at the same time – is more valuable than ever.
Over the next months we will be sharing links to the websites and blogs of those who, we think, share our concerns and passion; and whose thoughts and writings are a useful provocation to all of us who are interested in this form of work. Here are some to begin with:
François Matarasso – Archive 1980–2024
community arts unwrapped | A fine WordPress.com site
Understanding Everyday Participation | Articulating Cultural Values