1. Creative
Consultation
Hopes,dreams,ideas...
Findoutwhattheyreallythink!
Creative
Consultation
Artist-led consultation in the
community – a success story

2. It’sanopen
question...
Theessenceofarts-ledconsultationisto
engagesomeone’sinterestandaskthema
questionwhichgoesrighttotheheartoftheir
innermostselvesintheshortestpossibletime.
Theessentialskilltoachievethatisbeingable
toaskanopenquestion–or,insomecases,
presentopen-ended,unfinishedstatementsfor
someonetocompletewiththeirownideas.
Thesearethequestionsandstatementsused
byJohnRowandVeronicaChambersinthe
CCICprojectarts-ledconsultationprocess.The
questionsleadfromthepersonaltothe
particular–fromindividualdreamsandideasto
theactualuseofthesite.Someanswerswere
flippant,butmostwere
serious,andoverallthe
responseswere
tremendouslywide-
ranging.Most
importantly,nonewas
rejectedbytheartists
andallwererecorded.
Openmeetings
Inadditiontothesequick-firequestions,the
artistsledsomemoreorganiseddiscussions
withgroupsatthelocaldoctors’surgeryand
thecybercafé.Suggestionsatthesurgery
includedcreatingmoregreenspace,having
gardenswherepeoplecouldgrowthings,
buildingavenueforarts,craftsandsports
whereyoungandoldcouldmeet,more
provisionforyoungpeopleandacafé.
Idreamofbeing…
Anartist
Amillionaire
Abletocreateworld
peace
WhatwouldIdo
orhaveinanew
building?
I'dhavesomething
forthehomeless
I'dgivemoregreen
spacebackand
putaroofgardenon
thebuilding
Torunmyowncafé,
I'dneed
timeandtraining
Tostartahealing
centreIwouldneed
spaceandmoney
It’snotall
aboutart…
Iwanta
sciencelabwith
Bunsenburners
I'dlikeanastronomy
telescope
I'dlikea
cloningmachine
I'dliketoinvent
avirtualrealityand
liveinthere
Atthecybercafé,therespondentswereall
workinginthecreativeindustries,andthey
wereaskedwhatresourcestheywouldhave
foundusefulwhentheywereyoungartists.
Networksofpeopleandphysicalspacesto
workinbothcamehighonthelist,aswell
astheneedforsupportinthecrucialyears
afterleavingcollege.There’salsoaneedfor
informationaboutfunding,resourcessuch
asaphotographicdarkroomandexhibition
spacesforcutting-edgeworkandinternet
services.
Theresultsoftheconsultationshowahuge
rangeofideasanddreams.Atthecoreof
manyarethelongingstofulfilpersonal
potentialandtohelpothers–
andtodosomethingamazing.
IfIcouldstarta
businessoraprojectof
myownitwouldbe…
>Havemyowncafé
>Tobuildawicked
youthclub
>Creatingabig
artgalleryfor
unknownartists
The CCIC
Project
The Cambridge Community Innovation
Centre (CCIC) is a project led by Start
International with partners Momentum
Arts and Citylife, aiming to create a new
building in the Petersfield area. The
Howard Mallett Centre, now closed,
currently stands on the site. The CCIC is
an inclusive centre for creativity and
entrepreneurship among young people and
disadvantaged adults, addressing the lack
of affordable premises and offering
business support.
The Howard Mallett Centre has a complex
history, with some people holding
entrenched views about its current and
Why arts-led
consultation?
The arts have proved to be a secret
weapon in the consultation process.
Artists can reach out to people in ways
not envisaged by the normal consultation
processes. Catching the imagination of
local people was the main lever in
drawing out their wishes, ideas and goals.
Martin Clark, Programme Research
Director of Citylife, said, ‘I want to find
out what will help the community to
accept this project and participate in it. I
want relationships with the community to
be as positive as possible, and if we are
seen to be listening that will help.’ He
admitted frustration with some past
research projects, with respondents often
saying one thing and doing another. ‘In
other words, there’s a gap between
wishful thinking and warm words, and
action.’ His hope that the arts-led
consultancy would be qualitatively
different was borne out.
Jeremy Ashworth of Start International
pointed that many people would never
normally take part in consultation, shying
away from techniques such as street
questionnaires. ‘We want the artist to go
beyond the more vocal community groups
who would be opposed to anything
happening on the site,’ he said, ‘and talk
to some of the less vocal, harder-to-reach
groups whom hopefully this building
would benefit.’
The arts-led
consultation
process
Arts-led consultation differs from project
to project: finding the appropriate method
and style will always be paramount. For
CCIC, the story-teller and visual artist
John Row, visited open-air and
community sites (see box) with his
colleague, Veronica Chambers. They
developed a series of open-ended
questions to which people could respond
either very briefly or in more depth.
For more on the responses from local
people, turn to pages 6 and 7.
Part of the project took place at Parkside
Community College, a Specialist Arts
College, where Shape Cambridge and
Start International workshop leaders ran
a two-day design workshop. Year 8 and 9
students visited and photographed the
proposed site, and went on to develop
creative ways of using the external
aspects of the site. Their mock-up of the
external landscaping formed part of the
public exhibition, which took place over
two evenings at St Matthew’s School.
See pages 4-5 for more details.
future use. Shape Cambridge and
Momentum Arts engaged in an arts-led
consultation project, aimed at eliciting
views from thsoe less likely to engage
with more formal processes.
The issues included: the sensitivity
of the site; the possibility of the
project being poorly described, and
consequently failing to capture public
support; being able to show genuine
need among local people; and above
all to create a positive feeling for the
project among local people.