Call for papers: People, Place Power

27-28 September 2016, hosted by Right Up Our Street in Doncaster

People, Place, Power: A national conference underpinned by learning from Creative People and Places and other approaches to increase participation in the arts

In September 2016 our national conference will offer an opportunity for Creative People and Places (CPP) areas to share learning from their different approaches, and to hear other perspectives from researchers and practitioners working outside CPP on related themes including but not limited to the following:

• How do we build sustainable audiences from one off inspirational events?
• How do we develop long term change in the context of short term funding?
• What are the tensions of working in depth with small numbers and at breadth to increase participation across a district?
• What are the implications for the arts of responding to local definitions of culture?
• What happens when communities play a strong role in commissioning work?
• Can we have excellence of art without excellence of engagement?
• What are the challenges of cross sector partnerships?
• Whose capacity are we building – artists and/or communities?

This is a call for papers/presentations, provocations or practical workshops to explore such topics.  We would like to hear from:

• CPP areas: directors, artists, consortium members, critical friends or evaluators to share your learning
• academics and practitioners in the arts, community development, socially engaged practice, who wish to offer an alternative perspective, provocation or learning from elsewhere

The focus of the conference is on both research and practice but should be informed by evaluation and evidence-informed reflection. We would like you to submit outlines/abstracts of what you could present at the conference for consideration around, but not limited to any of the following sub themes:

• Case studies of projects that have aimed to increase participation and decision making in the arts
• Evaluation of CPP successes and challenges in achieving its aims
• Comparison between outcomes from different approaches
• Theoretical debates around definitions and ideologies of participation and engagement
• Research on the benefits of participation/engagement and/or place-based funding

How to submit

Please download the Call for papers below for full information. Send your submission by email to Leila Jancovich at l.jancovich@leedsbeckett.ac.uk:

• an outline or abstract of no more than 500 words describing what you would like to present or offer the conference
• a biog of no more than 100 words

Deadline:  Monday 18 January 2016. The selection of paper presentations and sessions will be announced by end of March 2016.

The conference is organised as part of the National Evaluation and peer learning strands associated with CPP.  It will be managed by Dr Leila Jancovich from Leeds Beckett University who is also coordinator of a knowledge exchange network on participation and engagement in the arts. It will be hosted by the Right Up Our Street team in Doncaster, one of the CPP areas.

Publication after the conference
There will be a conference report summarising key issues and learning from the conference and a special edition of an academic journal (TBC) with a selection of presentations reworked into articles.