Module 3. Designing an inclusive art workshop

Introduction

Everyone should be able to enjoy the culture. An accessible cultural space belongs to everyone and is for everyone. When we get rid of barriers, we all benefit. When people visit a museum, they need to be able to talk to others, get information and interact. Few cultural spaces are inclusive. Many spaces are not friendly to people with disabilities. Hence, workshops that show ways of social inclusion are necessary. Inclusivity is important so everyone can feel identified and included in our society. According to research (Browne Gott, H. (2020, p. 13-16), there is growing evidence that arts can have a positive effect on people’s well-being. This was the case even when other necessary factors were taken into consideration. Well-being is part of our physical and mental health. Covid-19 has affected both the physical and mental health of people around the world.

Inclusive art workshops

Workshops offer participants an inclusive and creative environment to engage. They encourage social interaction and give a sense of community. Cultural workers improve their skills. They learn how to approach people with disabilities as well as how to create an environment of inclusion.

Creating and engaging with art can improve health and wellness — a balance of the whole person, which includes body, mind and spirit. (Hacker, 2012 in Kamienski, N. et al., 2018, p. 3). The therapeutic value emerges when art engages the sense of spirit, leading to a deeper personal understanding of self, others, or the environment.

What?

Digital delivery can increase inclusiveness in the arts and culture by letting vulnerable groups access information and experiences. It also allows people to get the most out of the social benefits of participating in arts and culture, such as enhanced well-being.

Yet, ‘digitally inclusive’ techniques for online delivery must be implemented so that everyone can take part in and enjoy arts and culture. It is important to find ways so that the arts and culture can become digitalised, as well as understand how the industry can play a key role in promoting digital inclusion.

Arts and cultural organisations should talk to their audiences to figure out what’s preventing them from engaging with their content online, and then collaborate with them to come up with solutions. Arts and the cultural and creative sectors can be ‘digitally inclusive,’ i.e., equally accessible and enriching for all (regardless of audience or participant’s level of digital access, digital abilities, or digital motivation/confidence) (Mackey, 2021).

Arts and cultural organisations can play a key role in encouraging people to get online. Moreover, arts and cultural organisations must design their online delivery to be ‘digitally inclusive’ by default (Heselwood and Pritchard, 2019), which means that online delivery should be equally accessible and enriching for all (regardless of their level of digital access, digital skills, or digital literacy).

Organise visual art workshops for people who have limited access to cultural spaces with art exhibitions. Alternatively, you can organise a light show with projectors projecting pieces of art or paintings on the walls of the cultural space.

Solution 1 – Participation and social interaction

The focus of the above is on the participation and social interaction of the participants.

Example 1 – We would like you to show an example, let us take a look at Purple Patch Arts.

It is an organisation that exists to improve the lives and life chances of people with learning disabilities and autism. It uses different activities (i.e. drama, dance, music, art and multi-sensory activity) to engage learners and develop participants’ social skills. Purple Patch Arts started delivering its ‘Lifelong Learning Programmes’ online via Zoom and published daily activities and weekly colouring pages on its website. Purple Patch Arts also used lockdown as an opportunity to reach people beyond its community.

How?

Facilitator’s Manual

Steps to support the engagement of people with fewer opportunities in Art Workshops:

1. Commitment to people with fewer opportunities should be long-term and organisation-wide.
2. Diversifying audiences should include action on organisational diversity.
3. Staff and volunteers need to feel confident in working with people with fewer opportunities.
4. Involvement of people with fewer opportunities in the design and/or delivery of opportunities.
5. Giving choices that respect people with fewer opportunities for individuality is critical.
6. Working with community groups trusted by people with fewer opportunities.
7. Taking activities out of the usual arts and culture venues and integrating them into communities.
8. It matters how and where organisations market their activities.
9. Ambassadors or advocates can help people try something new and stick to it.
10. People with fewer opportunities themselves can be ambassadors, but it’s difficult to keep their commitment.
11. Many arts and culture organisations could use data better than they currently do.
12. Willingness to listen and learn from data increases chances of success.

Steps to host a successful Virtual Art Workshop:

1. Set clear goals from the start.
2. Choose the right platform to host your virtual event.
3. Choose the right time for your event.
4. Promote your virtual event.
5. Develop a clear agenda that includes speakers and timeframes.
6. Include moderators at your event.
7. Engage your audience.
8. Prepare to troubleshoot.
9. Send out a post-event follow up.
10. Debrief.

Call to action

Exercise 1

Describe how to create an online Art Workshop Event for people with fewer opportunities in Facebook using the steps mentioned above.