The Arts and Social Wellbeing in Rural and Regional WA Communities

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The Arts and Social Wellbeing in Rural and
Regional WA Communities

• ARC Research Partnership
• Institute of Regional Development - UWA
• Country Arts WA
• WA Department of Culture and the Arts

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The Arts and Social Wellbeing in Rural and
Regional WA Communities

• This project will focus on the role that active
  participation in the arts plays in engendering
  wellbeing in the rural and regional communities
  of the Mid-West region of Western Australia.

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Project Objective

• This project aims to explore the role of the
  arts in contributing to wellbeing by fostering
• social connectivity
• community cohesion
• social inclusion
• trust and reciprocity.

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Study Approach

• Drawing on a range of
• Social
• Economic and
• Geographical contexts.
• Through
• Quantitative and
• Qualitative assessment.

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The Mid-West Region
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The Mid-West Region

• The Mid West covers an area of some 472,000
  square kilometres and incorporating 17 local
  government areas. The economy of the region is
  predominantly based on
• mixed crop and livestock farming
• extensive pastoralism
• mining
• fishing and
• tourism
• (Department of Local Government and Regional
  Development, 2003).

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Range of Communities

• The population geography of the region is quite
  diverse and is sharply divided between growing
  coastal settlements linked to fishing and
  tourism, and declining or stable inland
  communities dependent on agriculture and mining.

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Study Area Suitability

• The Mid-West is an ideal area for this study for
  number of reasons
• Diversity of settlement types, ranging in size
  from a large regional centre, (Geraldton pop
  20,000) to a number of small remote settlements.
  (mining, agricultural and Aboriginal lands)
• Country Arts WA focus region 2004 2008
• Builds on work of research partners IRD,
  examining relationship between social wellbeing
  and participation in sporting clubs.

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Local Social Issues/Impacts

• Diversity across community types
• Population growth / decline (coastal/rural)
• Dominant economies (mining, agriculture, tourism)
• Impact of Minerals boom (differential in
  earnings, services)
• Considerable Indigenous population (5-10 across
  region)

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Social Capital

• features of social life networks, norms and
  trust that enable participants to act together
  to pursue shared objectives
• (Putnam, 1995, p. 64-65)
• social fabric or glue
• (Cox 1995, p. 15)

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Social Capital

• At the heart of the concept is the importance of
  social linkages based on trust and reciprocity.
• Key indicators of social capital include
  participation in community activities, levels of
  volunteerism, the strength of social networks,
  levels of trust and confidence in institutions
  and fellow citizens, and a sense of local
  community pride
• (Field, 2003).
• Link between Social Capital and Social Wellbeing

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Art and Social Wellbeing

• There is a growing body of work examining the
  contribution of the arts to social wellbeing on
  both a small and large scale
• Victorian Community Indicators Project
  (VicHealth and partners).
• Small Towns Big Picture Project (CDN - Dr
  Maureen Rodgers).

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Art and Social Wellbeing

• A number of prominent arts and cultural
  commentators have also put weight to the notion
  that the arts might play a crucial role in
  promoting social wellbeing.
• (Williams, 1995 Hawkes, 2001 Mills Brown,
  2004).

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Active/Passive Creative/Receptive

• Participation in the arts is usually defined as
• Creative or Active
• Involved in the making of music, visual arts,
  theatre, dance, writing and literature, arts and
  craft. (see Gibson et al., 2002).
• Receptive or Passive
• Involved in watching, observing a cultural event
  or purchasing of a product or event. (Marceau
  Davison, 2004).

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Past Research Qualitative/ Quantitative
Analysis.

• major criticism of research on the links between
  the arts and social wellbeing to date is that
  there is a tendency for these studies to be
  highly qualitative and based on the analysis of a
  single community
• (Reeves, 2002 IFACCA, 2004).
• need for a better mixture of qualitative and
  quantitative research that is able to provide a
  better feel for the geographical differences
  between places
• (Marceau and Davison 2004).

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The Mid-West ARC Project

• It will examine the
• Social, economic and geographical variables that
  influence creative and receptive participation in
  the arts in a rural region
• Role of the arts in contributing to a range of
  social wellbeing indicators, including those of
  social connectivity, community engagement, sense
  of belonging, social inclusion, and a sense of
  trust and reciprocity
• Links between the arts and the formation of
  social capital
• Role of government funded and non-government
  funded arts programmes in fostering social
  wellbeing.

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Research will explore

• Nature of creative and receptive participation in
  the arts at regional, sub-regional, and local
  scales. Region wide based approach, 17 LGA
  areas.
• Diverse set of rural communities - to explore
  the arts and social wellbeing in a range of very
  different environments.
• Social organisation of rural communities - this
  project will build upon, and add to, existing
  research in this area.

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Research will explore

• New insights into the nature of social capital -
  building on this analysis of the social
  organisation of rural communities.
• Multi-method based - using a balance of
  quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
• Contribution to knowledge on the links between
  social wellbeing and the arts - through robust
  methodology providing important theoretical and
  empirical implications for the arts and social
  wellbeing.

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Research Methodology

• Existing Secondary Data Sources
• Questionnaire Survey of Households
• Survey of Community Organisations with an
  Interest in the Arts
• Participant Observation and Informal Interviews
• Data Analysis Report Writing
• Communication of Results

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Research Timeline

• Year 1 (2007) Initial overview and assessment
• Review of the literature on the areas of theory
  and research in relation to the arts, social
  wellbeing and rural social and economic change.
  Undertake the analysis of secondary sources.
• Commence the analysis of organisations with
  interests in the arts.
• Begin the fieldwork in the Mid West and informal
  interviews.

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Research Timeline

• Year 2 (2008) Gathering and analysis of data
• Undertake the questionnaire survey.
• Continue the survey of organisations with
  interests in the arts.
• Continue fieldwork and informal interviews in the
  case study region.
• Input survey data into SPSS and transcribe
  interview and field data.

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Research Timeline

• Year 3 (2009) Completion of data gathering and
  report writing
• Complete the analysis of survey data, and further
  interviews with relevant stakeholders as
  required.
• Attend a relevant international or national
  conference to present findings.
• From the data gathered during the project,
  together with a systematic consideration of
  broader theoretical issues, complete the writing
  of report.

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Images

• Awesome Arts Creative Challenge Program, Images
  Poppy Van Oorde-Grainger
• Country Arts WABlink project, Meeka images
  Nat Brunovs
• Various projects
• ACDC Geraldton
• Maps ABS and Mid West Development Commission

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Marty Cunningham, Manager, Research
Information, The Dept. of Culture the Arts
(WA)

• Marty Cunningham has worked extensively in
  the arts and cultural sector as a community
  cultural development worker, circus and theatre
  performer, arts administrator, and local
  government Youth Arts Officer and Community
  Development Officer.  Marty currently heads the
  newly formed research and information team at the
  WA Department of Culture and the Arts.  He has
  served on a number of boards, including the
  Community Cultural Development Board of the
  Australia Council for the Arts, the ArtsWA Arts
  Development Panel, and as the chair of
  Propelarts, the Western Australian youth arts
  network. 
• Proceedings of the Expanding Cultures
  conference, Melbourne, July 2007
• Hosted by the City of Stonnington,
  supported by the Cities of Yarra, Melbourne,
  Moreland, Maribyrnong, Moonee Valley, Boroondara
  and Port Phillip and the Cultural Development
  Network www.culturaldevelopment.net.au/expandingcu
  ltures