Community arts worker
Community arts workers collaborate with a wide variety of local groups, encouraging the use of artistic activities to support their development and improve their quality of life. Generally, they work in areas where there are social, cultural or environmental issues to be addressed. They use a whole range of art forms to engage with these different community groups, including visual arts, theatre, dance, music, carnival arts and film.
Community arts worker is more of an umbrella term as job titles are now more specific and tend to relate quite closely to the role or type of work. A range of job titles are therefore used in this sector including; arts development officer, youth engagement officer, youth arts practitioner and community projects assistant to name a few. For creative professionals working freelance, job titles can include creative practitioner and practitioners in practice.
Project work may fall into such categories as race, gender, disability, health and the environment, and may focus on the following groups:
Depending on the role, the work varies considerably between the facilitation and sometimes delivery of creative projects and more administrative responsibilities.
The work may vary between arts development, arts outreach work and youth arts and education. In some local government positions the role will have more of an administrative and project management focus and the artistic input will be provided by freelance community artists or professionals. In arts companies, agencies or charities, the community arts worker will co-ordinate, project manage and may also deliver alongside freelance artists. Community artists who work on a freelance basis, may be involved in all aspects of the project including managing, delivery and fundraising.
Typical work activities include:
Most community arts workers are qualified or trained in a particular arts discipline. Although this area of work is open to all graduates, a degree in the following subjects may increase your chances:
Specific community arts qualifications have also been introduced in the last few years at undergraduate level.
Entry is also possible with a HND/foundation degree. In particular, a HND/foundation degree in community arts may improve your chances. A new foundation degree in carnival arts has been developed by the UK Centre for Carnival Arts with the University of Bedfordshire and is available from September 2010.
Entry without a degree or HND/foundation degree is possible. Emphasis is placed more on having the right skills and experience than on academic qualifications.
A postgraduate degree is not essential but may be useful. Many institutions offer an MA in Community Arts and several institutions now offer Masters specifically in Community Music. A new part time course has been developed for arts graduates by the University of the West of England. The Graduate Certificate in Participatory Arts and Media Professional Practice will help candidates gain the necessary skills and a qualification to work in various fields within community arts.
As it is a competitive sector pre-entry experience in the field of community arts is important and a portfolio of experience in delivering projects may be sought when applying for community arts positions. Many community arts groups and initiatives rely on volunteers and it may be possible to get involved in a wide range of different projects in a voluntary capacity or through internships.
Initial entry positions may be in arts administration or as an assistant arts development officer with a local authority. For arts administrator roles good IT and communication skills, together with an interest in the creative sector are key.
Regional arts councils hold lists of local community arts activities, organisations and events - see the Arts Council England , Creative Scotland , Arts Council of Wales and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland websites. The Voluntary Arts Network website also has an extensive directory of arts organisations. Also contact local arts agencies and companies to see if any voluntary opportunities are available.
Candidates need to show evidence of the following:
Though many community arts workers may be specialist artists in their own right, an interest in the creative sector and a good overall knowledge of the arts in general is of benefit.
You will need to have Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance to work with young people and other vulnerable groups.
Read publications and newspapers from your local area to keep up to date with relevant community issues and take every opportunity to network and make contacts.
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Continuing professional development (CPD) is important in order to keep abreast of new legislation, practices and opportunities. Freelancers in particular need to seek out training opportunities.
Local councils often run short, subsidised training courses to introduce arts practitioners to the field of community work. Similar training is also offered by larger community arts organisations themselves. The Voluntary Arts Network lists details of courses across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are specifically aimed at the community arts sector.
For the youth arts sector the English National Youth Arts Network (ENYAN)
provides information on training and professional development. Freelance community artists may be able to get training funded through the project they are involved in or be prepared to fund themselves for training courses.
Community arts work extends beyond using creative talent. Whether in local government or freelance, you may need to supplement your artistic training with courses in the following areas:
Some community arts workers may decide to formalise their teaching and training experience by studying for a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) or a PG Dip/MA in Education. Through the Creative Partnerships initiative in England more emphasis is being given to training for creative professionals working in schools. Some universities also offer short courses to help build knowledge and awareness of policies such as Every Child Matters and curriculum issues. Museums and galleries also offer training for their own staff and those from other organisations within the sector.
Community arts workers in local government usually aim to progress from junior roles to more senior positions, possibly taking on managerial responsibility, supervising a team of junior arts officers or becoming the head of arts. They may also move into management roles within arts organisations or may choose to work for arts councils, arts development agencies or regional development agencies. Promotion to managerial level is more dependent on experience of managing large projects and budgets than on qualifications. Posts as directors and chief executives exist within these organisations but opportunities are limited and require significant experience of developing policies and strategies.
Some local government or public sector community arts workers may choose to move into the freelance arena, drawing on the contacts and experience they have gained.
Community arts workers who operate on a freelance basis develop their careers by working on a range of projects to build their portfolio. Networking to build up a contact base is essential for finding work as is contacting arts centres speculatively to be considered for new projects. As they gain experience, opportunities to work on larger scale projects with bigger budgets will become available. It is also important that freelancers add to their portfolio of skills so that they can deliver a wider range of workshops and projects to community groups and schools.
Many freelancers have the ambition of securing funding to establish and manage their own independent projects or not-for-profit organisations.
Some, however, aspire to a more permanent position in the public sector - in local government, for example, or working for one of the larger arts organisations.
In many areas of community arts work, career development needs to be driven by the individual, as outside local government there is a lack of clearly defined career pathways.
Community arts continues to be seen as a tool for addressing a wide range of agendas including regeneration, social inclusion and community cohesion, with local government as a prominent employer. Many councils employ a community arts officer or even small teams dedicated to this agenda.
Many mainstream organisations also have an outreach remit and are committed to making their art forms and venues more accessible. These include:
They often employ education and community officers, who work directly with community groups, introducing them to their respective art forms through workshops, events and other activities.
New initiatives and projects have been launched with the approach of the 2012 Olympics. These include the Cultural Olympiad - London 2012 and Unlimited , the UK’s largest disability arts programme. A significant amount of funding has also been channelled through Creativity Culture & Education for cultural programmes with young people in England.
Community arts workers are also employed by specific community arts support agencies where they offer advice and support to others.
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