Enacting Art and Place Through Socially Engaged Art

Abstract

This narrative inquiry research project searches for a deeper understanding of the experiences of artists and educators whose practice reflects similar qualities to socially engaged artists. I ask how artists who work with communities construct social engagement through art and place. Through interviews with five artists, I analyze the methodologies and practices that exist, how they are used in relation to art-making, education, and collaboration, and how they are enabled. This research provides a look at how artists and educators working in the public sphere define their roles as facilitators, how they navigate the power relationships when constructing social engagement through art and place, and how they enable the voice of the community within their practice.