Arts and regeneration: creating vibrant communities

Author: Arts Council England, South East

Institution: Arts Council England

Full reference: Arts Council England, (2007). Arts and regeneration: creating vibrant communities. Arts Council England, South East

This publication showcases the many ways that artists and the arts have made positive contributions in places experiencing regeneration or growth. The nine case studies reveal the benefits felt by those who have invested in the arts to manage change, and explore the experiences of individual community members who have taken part in arts-led regeneration projects.

While regeneration can take many years – decades in some instances – to embed itself, artistic interventions are often judged in the short term. By its nature regeneration is never finished. Even in the most successful schemes it could be argued that it is only when the project is completed that the regeneration begins.

For this reason we wanted to include projects from the recent past that have subsequently evolved, establishing enduring identities within the communities amongst which they exist. Successful art often involves an element of risk and perhaps trusting the future is the biggest risk of all.

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