The importance of community-based art in enhancing cultural identity

We’ve just celebrated National Arts Month in February to “uphold artistic excellence and pay tribute to the uniqueness and diversity of Filipino heritage and culture.” It is important to note that as we immerse ourselves in the grandeur and spectacle of mainstream artistic celebrations, there still lies a significant challenge to the existing history of Philippine art. This must take into account the collaborative work of local artists, together with members of the community, to create a multiple understanding of the diversity of artistic practices in our country.

A critical observation, especially in the regions, is how community-based art plays an important role in creating, reinforcing, and enhancing our local cultural identity. While there is no single definition of what constitutes community-based art, it is an artistic activity that reveals and enhances the unique meaning, value, and character of a community through interaction, dialogue, and the collaboration of artists with community members.

A community can be seen and defined in many ways, and can also refer to different kinds of groups with a set of shared principles, knowledge, and experience. Working with a set of people who are not usually engaged in the arts also requires immersive experience and the artist’s commitment to set up an inclusive creative process that is shared and led by the community. This creative process does not just treat community members as mere participants, but as contributors in building rapport, and can serve as a valuable tool in shaping the effectiveness of collaborative art projects.

Through this creative process, community members usually come together to express concerns on issues, which are mediated or facilitated by local artists. The desired output such as murals, art installations, and prints, including community theater productions, are meant to open conversations about local actions and solutions. It is observed that local residents are likely to take part in and remain committed to a community art project which they can relate and have a direct connection to.In this way, the community’s character is revealed through the articulation of the historic, cultural, political, economic, and cultural context of the place where they live and interact together. It also shapes awareness about their place, which is strengthened by the consideration of all community values, while recognizing that a community’s sense of identity evolves and develops over time.

Oftentimes, community-based art is practiced in disadvantaged communities, where local residents express themselves together through art. In the face of suffering and injustice, this can be an effective platform for collective work which leads to a discussion on how to transform existing social conditions.

And while this field is not new, there remains the call for policies and programs that would support and enhance creative activities that can be strengthened by a consideration of all community interests in decision making processes.

Still, much work needs to be done in documenting, describing, and learning from the field, especially in involving more people who have significant experience from their community development, social action, and environmental backgrounds.

In the end, the field of community-based art must be seen in a broader context where people come together for a common purpose to address systemic issues to coproduce cultural events that tackle social concerns. More importantly, this provides a mechanism to elicit participation, volunteerism, and community action, as well as calls for the implementation of programs and regulations that will support and enhance this evolving art practice.

Geri Matthew Carretero