Six Creative Ways Artists Can Change Communities | by Laura Zabel @ theguardian.com

In cities around the globe, there is an exciting movement afoot to share ideas and models that help connect artists more deeply with their communities. From Santiago, Chile, to St Paul, Minnesota, local citizens are partnering with artists to address challenges and make positive change.

This movement isn’t about positioning artists as special outsiders who parachute in with easy fixes, but as neighbours who are one part of a whole set of things a community can do to be healthy. Nor is this movement about artists volunteering their skills, or being asked to contribute their skills “for exposure” – rather, it’s about artists who are justly compensated for their work and skills.

Of course, not all examples in this movement play it this way. But that’s what they should strive for: a point where all participants are valued for their unique contributions. Here are some projects that demonstrate the potential of artists to help create vital and just communities.

St Paul mayor Chris Coleman at the launch of the Irrigate project. Photograph: Springboard for the Arts

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