The potentials of art to involve citizens in regional transitions: exploring a site-specific performance in Haarzuilens, the Netherlands

The role of the arts in coping with place change at the coast

“…Some of our participants, for instance, argued that the arts only work for people who value the arts or who are already engaged in them, and many noted that this often comes down to the same active core group (see van der Vaart et al, ). Moreover, issues of legitimacy and power relations can be at play (Batel & Devine‐Wright, ), and there can be tensions on the “instrumentalisation” of the arts (see, e.g., Stuiver et al., ).…”

“…In addition, Stuiver et al. (, p. 309) proposed that planners could include artists “as consultants of the immaterial values” of the citizens affected by a proposed plan. In this way, “local input still can have impact” before definite plans for a region are made.…”

“…Stocker and Kennedy regarded the arts as having additional value to “cognitive scientific evidence” in creating awareness and action for sustainability, because “emotional and affective responses to the natural world and environmental concerns can be more engaging and decisive than government reports or scientific data” (2011, p. 99). However, as Stuiver et al () reminded us, the arts are never neutral. They noted that “a community‐based art project could turn into a platform for a dismissive ‘not in my backyard’ attitude among local inhabitants or for alternative spatial scenarios that have not been considered by the planners” (2012, p. 308).…”

Coordinators Bridge Residents and Artists in Regional Japan: A Case Study of the Art Project Hanarart

“…Through experiencing art products, artists, audience, residents and outsiders collaboratively find the shared meaning of the site. In the site area, collective work between artists and audiences expands their collective identity and sense of community (Newman et al 2003;Stuiver et al 2013). Artists and audience, or residents and outsiders, are required to communicate to reconstruct their shared communities, particularly in small art projects.…”

Public art as conversation piece: scaling art, public space and audience

“…Selwood, 1995;Hall and Robertson, 2001;Cameron and Coaffee, 2005;Remesar, 2005;Sharp, 2007;Zebracki et al, 2010;Stuiver et al, 2013). These aims involve oft-utopian physicalaesthetic, political, economic, social, and cultural-symbolic claims about what art "does" or should "do" to people over time and diverse city spaces, e.g.…”