a different kind of citizenship
American sociologist Oldenburg was one of the first to recognise the role of places such as coffee shops, bookstores, pubs, and hairdressing salons as spaces for socialising and building community. He referred to them as third spaces: un- planned places, beyond work and home, where unrelated people could connect.
It is not surprising then that when I talk to people about the precinct they often comment on how much they enjoy the local coffee shops, bookstores and pubs.
But what’s been exciting for me is the discovery of groups of local residents initiating their own cultural activities across such spaces. One such remarkable cluster of local citizens is the Kensington Arts Group. Formed over six months ago by Kensington residents, they have developed a unique arts program including music and literature evenings in the local pubs, and sustainable visual arts projects in collaboration with local schools – an extraordinary feast of cultural activities for the enjoyment of everyone in and around Kensington.
Such community driven initiatives are I think a reflection of a different kind of citizenship in action – an inspiring form of artistic citizenship – one that uses the arts as the vehicle for building community and affirming our humanity. I look forward to more developments like this.
Teresa Crea Lead Creative
cultural sustainability?
Recently Georgia and Laura form 3D Radio conducted a vox pop for Thinking Through The City on what young people wanted in Norwood Payneham and St Peters. The program went to air on October 13 … and the verdict…? Youth were keen to see more of a vibe generated in the city through live music and events. Culture and creativity are the glue that create meaning and enrichment in our lives, and today the term creative communities is being used far and wide, but the challenge remains how to truly generate opportunities for individuals to be creatively engaged as active, creative citizens. Allied to the notion of ‘artistic citizenship’ comes the idea of ‘cultural sustainability’…
getting to know the city while thinking about art …
Getting to know a Council is a big and exciting task – particularly one that has a rich heritage such as Norwood, Payneham & St Peters. The opportunity to take up this unique role of Lead Creative for the City fills me with some trepidation. It is a bold initiative and we have chosen to begin modestly by starting community conversations that will slowly build into lasting initiatives.
I am an interdisciplinary artist with a background as a writer and director. I have worked with many communities over the years and have always been amazed by the transformative power of art, and its potential to act as a catalyst for change. I am hoping that our multi – disciplinary, and multi – faceted conversations, can contribute to a debate about the City’s relationship to the creative sector and foster new connections within it’s boundaries and beyond.
This blog is one of the vehicles to help enable that conversation, so I look forward to your comments over the next months as we ‘think through the city’ together.
Teresa Crea, Lead Creative
