Creating Community

TLDR

The study examines how community art relates to community development. Using data from two Denver neighborhoods, the authors describe community‑art projects as ritualistic social interactions that build neighborhood community, identify unique ritual characteristics that enhance effectiveness, and outline policy implications for addressing social issues. They find that community art fosters solidarity, collective identity, shared goals, and can generate gemeinschaft in gesellschaft settings by transforming the social realm.

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between community art and community development. Using data gathered from community-art projects in two Denver neighborhoods, the study describes the community-art process as a ritualistic setting for social interaction and documents the construction of neighborhood community. The author identifies the emergence of the social bonds of solidarity and collective identity that occurred as a result of bringing neighborhood residents together, providing a shared goal, and setting a common mood for the purpose of designing a community symbol. Drawing from traditional models of community, the author concludes that it is possible to generate gemeinschaft in settings where gesellschaft prevails by using community art as a tool for transforming a social realm. The author uncovers the unique characteristics of the community-art ritual that contribute to its effectiveness at building community and also discusses several policy implications for using community art to address social issues.