Connecting Californians
Finding the Art of Community Change
An Inquiry into the role of story in strengthening communities

Findings and Further Questions

It's a national movement: From the Appalachian coalfields of eastern Kentucky, Roadside Theater makes original plays drawn from the song, history, and stories of its people. The ensemble also collaborates nationally with other artists and communities eager to tell their stories in their own voice. Photo by Tim Cox

The inquiry confirmed that Californians throughout the state are telling local stories in public, actively using the arts and humanities to strengthen their communities. The power of narrative art to promote communication and human connection, to create associational networks, and to address local issues is being demonstrated daily. There exists a thriving "market force" for the making of art that is of, by and for the community.

A great deal can be learned from this experimental practice. Many further questions are worthy of pursuit.

• How best do we measure and describe how communities are strengthened through their interaction with art? How do we articulate clearly the "theory of change," and how will we know when success has been achieved?
  
  
• What are the best tactics for negotiating the interchange between story gathering and artistic creation, between artistic performance and community response? If art is a powerful tool for community problem solving, can it be overpowering? What tools are necessary for the work of discovery, collaborative creation and collective engagement with the resulting artistic product?
  
  
• How best can a community’s civic and cultural life be integrated for mutual benefit without compromising the integrity of the artists, the humanists, the organizers or the residents? What is the science of collaboration among these interests? For artists and humanists and their audiences, the quality of content and performance is paramount. For organizers, the bottom line is leadership development and a change in power dynamics. For residents, the goal is to solve problems and improve quality of life. What are the pitfalls to be avoided in these collaborations, and what are the practical characteristics that can lead to success?
  
  
• What are the appropriate purposes of the arts and humanities in communities? Is a sharp distinction between amateur audience and professional artist necessary? Are there mediating approaches available to mitigate the political divisiveness that has sometimes accompanied grassroots art? Is it possible that the loss of authentic connection between diverse residents and art is both a cause and an effect of community decline? If there is some of the artist, organizer and humanist in each of us, how do we create more opportunities for individual and collective expression, action and inquiry?

Guided by these questions, the research team sketched the design of a program that would explore and promote the use of narrative art to strengthen California communities.

NEXT > A Potential Program Design