Art and Culture in Communities: Unpacking Participation

The Place of Participation in ACIP's Overall Framework for Research and Measurement

ACIP's focus on participation derives from the overall framework we have developed for conceptualizing and measuring the role of arts and culture at the community level. This framework has been developed through extensive fieldwork and document review — data gathering that included in-person interviews and focus group discussions with professionals and community residents in nine cities,document review and telephone interviews with staff from arts and arts-related institutions, and on-site examination of selected community-building initiatives around the country. The framework has now been further refined through an extensive process of idea development and debate in workshops and conferences of researchers, community builders, policymakers, funders, arts administrators, and artists — and through practical application by ACIP affiliates around the country.