{"id":14597,"date":"2023-09-16T15:39:54","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T15:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/?p=14597"},"modified":"2025-01-22T23:42:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T23:42:03","slug":"what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the role of the arts in the 21st century?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"14597\" class=\"elementor elementor-14597\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bd8af20 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bd8af20\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c3ae0b0\" data-id=\"c3ae0b0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-41e4636 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"41e4636\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>When Georgian artist Mishiko Sulakauri arrived in Austin, Texas as part of his ArtsLink International Fellowship, he set about building a wall on the US border. Yet the structure was not a barrier, rather the opposite, it formed a milkweed oasis for monarch butterflies. His wall offered a regenerative habitat for the annual migration of the monarch from Canada all the way to Mexico. Mishiko\u2019s project combined educational and environmental components with a poignant metaphor about human migration and nature\u2019s disregard for political borders. The research process for the project enabled a sharing of experiences and perspectives on Georgia\u2019s own disputed borders with local schools and communities. Mishiko\u2019s personal experience in a country some 7,000 miles away directly informed the art-making process, helping to catalyze transnational empathy and challenge isolationism and xenophobia.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-88fe055 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"88fe055\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b67b1df\" data-id=\"b67b1df\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c041eb0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c041eb0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-14598\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">\u201cUnderwater Flows,\u201d digital rendering, Mishiko Sulakauri, Georgia, 2020<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cf95807 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cf95807\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6dffee9\" data-id=\"6dffee9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-93061e2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"93061e2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We live in an extraordinary moment in history. The frameworks or principles we used to rely on to enable free and civil society to function seem to be crumbling daily. From neighborhood associations, schools, or governments, to organized religions, the global economy, the World Health Organization\u2026even democracy itself (need I go on?). All these organizing structures, some having evolved over hundreds of years, are revealing major flaws \u2014 perhaps they were always there \u2014 but now the stress fractures are vivid and acute, relentlessly documented in daily reports and posts, and we are compelled to search for viable alternatives.<\/p><p>In this context, the role of art making takes on a whole new importance, and artists have become one of our most critical tools for social inquiry. Artists help us examine our contemporary culture, the world we inhabit now, and help suggest new ways of looking and thinking about how society should function.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a5a879e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a5a879e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-065a052\" data-id=\"065a052\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6907217 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6907217\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"457\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Theaster-Gates-1024x585.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-14599\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Theaster-Gates-1024x585.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Theaster-Gates-300x171.png 300w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Theaster-Gates-768x439.png 768w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Theaster-Gates-1536x878.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Theaster-Gates-2048x1171.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Theaster Gates\u2019s Dorchester Projects (2006\u2013), Chicago. Artwork \u00a9 Theaster Gates. Photo by Sara Pooley<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8eb11e8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8eb11e8\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2158317\" data-id=\"2158317\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f5cbf52 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f5cbf52\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>It is projected that by 2050, 70% of the world\u2019s population will live in cities. The resulting increase in the cultural diversity of urban communities offers a profound challenge to the future of human society \u2014 and by extension to the role and practice of artists.<\/p><p>Current social practice in the arts internationally is producing some of the most potent and articulate examinations of our contemporary world. In my previous work leading a National Dance organization in the U.K. and Springdance, the international performance festival in the Netherlands, I witnessed the power of the arts to transform people\u2019s lives, and the role of the artist as a potent catalyst for social evolution. I witnessed the school-excluded young person in the North of England culminating a year\u2019s project with a community dance organization by leading a dance workshop in his former school and pursuing dance as a career. I worked with Bronx-based Dancing in the Streets to create legal and paid platforms for Street Dancers as a viable alternative to illegal performances on subway trains. I have repeatedly experienced how the arts can really change us all.<\/p><p>Yet often, the very structures that have been built to foster and nurture the arts in the West \u2014 the Museums, the Academies, the Concert Halls, and the residency studios \u2014 are also the very ones that lead to an isolation of practice, the marginalization of the arts, and such limited or exclusive public connection. Critical developments in the arts are rarely happening in galleries or theaters around the world. They are taking place in all kinds of new and rediscovered arenas, in public and domestic spaces. As artists search for more appropriate and effective means of communicating their ideas and connecting with communities, it changes everything \u2014 how and why the arts are practiced, experienced, and supported.<\/p><p>Mary Mattingly created Swale (2016), a floating garden on a barge in New York Harbor that offered free fresh produce to those experiencing food insecurity, calling attention to the way city zoning laws prevent growing food in parks or other public spaces. Simone Leigh opened a free health clinic in the middle of her New Museum exhibition in NYC. Theaster Gates created Dorchester Projects \u2014 community hubs on Chicago\u2019s South Side purchased by the artist through the sale of his sculptures and developed by the artist in dialogue with local communities.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-435a235 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"435a235\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-411fd80\" data-id=\"411fd80\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d4a1099 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d4a1099\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1990\" height=\"1488\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/aa919c90925ad1035378089b34a10cea.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-14600\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/aa919c90925ad1035378089b34a10cea.png 1990w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/aa919c90925ad1035378089b34a10cea-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/aa919c90925ad1035378089b34a10cea-1024x766.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/aa919c90925ad1035378089b34a10cea-768x574.png 768w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/aa919c90925ad1035378089b34a10cea-1536x1149.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1990px) 100vw, 1990px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Mary Mattingly\u2019s installation \u201cSwale,\u201d 2016, the New York City Urban Field Station. Courtesy Biome Arts<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2a8bd95 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2a8bd95\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e481f7c\" data-id=\"e481f7c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b6c0057 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b6c0057\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Each of these projects has a strong connection to place and the specific needs of the local community. Socially engaged artists\u2019 work directly impacts both individual citizens and the communities in which they live. At CEC ArtsLink, we value the deep dialogue and positive impact that social practice engenders, making it a powerful tool for international cultural diplomacy. Our organization was founded to foster empathy and enrichment on a transnational scale; by setting up transnational exchanges for social practice artists from different cultural and social backgrounds they are able to nurture creative engagement and deep relationships that transcend cultural, geographic, and political borders.<\/p><p>Through social practice art, artists become catalysts for projects that emerge from, and are shaped by, extensive dialogues and intensive interaction with participants. Individual participants, neighborhoods, or whole communities often determine the form, content, and nature of the project, with the artist taking on many roles \u2014 a skill developer, facilitator, community liaison, personal mentor, documenter, and friend. The power of this practice is achieved through the extensive involvement of people, often in their social networks and local environments, over time and with a real sense of a common purpose.<\/p><div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated ui-sortable\"><div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-edit-mode elementor-element-573c96a elementor-element--toggle-edit-tools elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor ui-resizable\" data-id=\"573c96a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-model-cid=\"c105\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\"><div class=\"elementor-widget-container\"><div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix elementor-inline-editing\" data-elementor-setting-key=\"editor\" data-elementor-inline-editing-toolbar=\"advanced\"><p>Social practice can bring people much closer to the notion of art as something that can feed us all in different ways and fosters the notion of art-making as a way for society to explore, articulate, and re-imagine a better world.<\/p><p>We all need to develop strategies to foster this shift towards supporting the artist\u2019s practice in the community; we must devise means to invest in the artist\u2019s presence in our world, and not only in the objects they produce. Creating opportunities for artists to thrive in diverse contexts in the community will give rise to work we cannot yet imagine and transform people and society in ways we have only dreamed of.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5764a9a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5764a9a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d826c46\" data-id=\"d826c46\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26f8952 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"26f8952\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/c146bd881125fa5e6d023475ea80728b.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-14601\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/c146bd881125fa5e6d023475ea80728b.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/c146bd881125fa5e6d023475ea80728b-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/c146bd881125fa5e6d023475ea80728b-1024x682.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/c146bd881125fa5e6d023475ea80728b-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/c146bd881125fa5e6d023475ea80728b-1536x1023.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Simone Leigh, artist-in-residence at the New Museum, with a model apothecary that is part of \u201cThe Waiting Room\u201d, Photo by Kevin Hagen for The Wall Street Journal<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f4986b0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f4986b0\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4b16241\" data-id=\"4b16241\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-53b1a90 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"53b1a90\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Social practice can bring people much closer to the notion of art as something that can feed us all in different ways and fosters the notion of art-making as a way for society to explore, articulate, and re-imagine a better world.<\/p><p>We all need to develop strategies to foster this shift towards supporting the artist\u2019s practice in the community; we must devise means to invest in the artist\u2019s presence in our world, and not only in the objects they produce. Creating opportunities for artists to thrive in diverse contexts in the community will give rise to work we cannot yet imagine and transform people and society in ways we have only dreamed of.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On artists engaging with communities to shape a brighter future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":14598,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,40,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-insights","category-social-practice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is the role of the arts in the 21st century? - CEC ArtsLink<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In our extraordinary moment in history, the principles we used to rely on to enable free and civil society to function seem to be crumbling daily. In this context, artists have become one of our most critical tools for social inquiry. Find out how social practice in the arts internationally is producing some of the most potent and articulate examinations of our contemporary world.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is the role of the arts in the 21st century? - CEC ArtsLink\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In our extraordinary moment in history, the principles we used to rely on to enable free and civil society to function seem to be crumbling daily. In this context, artists have become one of our most critical tools for social inquiry. Find out how social practice in the arts internationally is producing some of the most potent and articulate examinations of our contemporary world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CEC ArtsLink\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-16T15:39:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-22T23:42:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Evgeny Pokrova\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Evgeny Pokrova\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Evgeny Pokrova\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#\/schema\/person\/129672c155bb9e92216b6a67ead62fd6\"},\"headline\":\"What is the role of the arts in the 21st century?\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-16T15:39:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-22T23:42:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/\"},\"wordCount\":1173,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Article\",\"Insights\",\"Social Practice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/\",\"name\":\"What is the role of the arts in the 21st century? - CEC ArtsLink\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-16T15:39:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-22T23:42:03+00:00\",\"description\":\"In our extraordinary moment in history, the principles we used to rely on to enable free and civil society to function seem to be crumbling daily. In this context, artists have become one of our most critical tools for social inquiry. Find out how social practice in the arts internationally is producing some of the most potent and articulate examinations of our contemporary world.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is the role of the arts in the 21st century?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/\",\"name\":\"CEC ArtsLink\",\"description\":\"Empowering artists and communities to build a more equitable, compassionate, and creative world\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"CEC ArtsLink\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-logo.png\",\"width\":600,\"height\":357,\"caption\":\"CEC ArtsLink\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#\/schema\/person\/129672c155bb9e92216b6a67ead62fd6\",\"name\":\"Evgeny Pokrova\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6bb1abd378e4709b7e9bfc7b58aa51290316342af15dcd60cb9de7cab1b6e595?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6bb1abd378e4709b7e9bfc7b58aa51290316342af15dcd60cb9de7cab1b6e595?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Evgeny Pokrova\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/getfar.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is the role of the arts in the 21st century? - CEC ArtsLink","description":"In our extraordinary moment in history, the principles we used to rely on to enable free and civil society to function seem to be crumbling daily. In this context, artists have become one of our most critical tools for social inquiry. Find out how social practice in the arts internationally is producing some of the most potent and articulate examinations of our contemporary world.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is the role of the arts in the 21st century? - CEC ArtsLink","og_description":"In our extraordinary moment in history, the principles we used to rely on to enable free and civil society to function seem to be crumbling daily. In this context, artists have become one of our most critical tools for social inquiry. Find out how social practice in the arts internationally is producing some of the most potent and articulate examinations of our contemporary world.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/","og_site_name":"CEC ArtsLink","article_published_time":"2023-09-16T15:39:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-22T23:42:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Evgeny Pokrova","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Evgeny Pokrova","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/"},"author":{"name":"Evgeny Pokrova","@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#\/schema\/person\/129672c155bb9e92216b6a67ead62fd6"},"headline":"What is the role of the arts in the 21st century?","datePublished":"2023-09-16T15:39:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-22T23:42:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/"},"wordCount":1173,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg","articleSection":["Article","Insights","Social Practice"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/","url":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/","name":"What is the role of the arts in the 21st century? - CEC ArtsLink","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg","datePublished":"2023-09-16T15:39:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-22T23:42:03+00:00","description":"In our extraordinary moment in history, the principles we used to rely on to enable free and civil society to function seem to be crumbling daily. In this context, artists have become one of our most critical tools for social inquiry. Find out how social practice in the arts internationally is producing some of the most potent and articulate examinations of our contemporary world.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1100bf485f6fe34bbe447f519d7173f6-scaled.jpeg","width":2560,"height":1920},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/what-is-the-role-of-the-arts-in-the-21st-century-on-artists-engaging-with-communities-to-shape-a-brighter-future\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is the role of the arts in the 21st century?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/","name":"CEC ArtsLink","description":"Empowering artists and communities to build a more equitable, compassionate, and creative world","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#organization","name":"CEC ArtsLink","url":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-logo.png","width":600,"height":357,"caption":"CEC ArtsLink"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#\/schema\/person\/129672c155bb9e92216b6a67ead62fd6","name":"Evgeny Pokrova","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6bb1abd378e4709b7e9bfc7b58aa51290316342af15dcd60cb9de7cab1b6e595?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6bb1abd378e4709b7e9bfc7b58aa51290316342af15dcd60cb9de7cab1b6e595?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Evgeny Pokrova"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/getfar.com"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cecartslink.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}