Design organisation routines around audience development

Jesuit Cairo Film School

In Egypt, where more than one-quarter of the population lives in poverty, art has become a marginal part of daily life. But for the founders of the Jesuit Cairo Film School, art is a crucial aspect of life that should be accessible to everyone, and not just as audiences but also as creators. For the school, the arts enable marginalised communities to express themselves and relieve the burdens of everyday life.

The art-ivism of Malaysia’s Pangrok Sulap

Pangrok Sulap is an art collective which engages with a diverse range of performers, civil society organisations (CSOs) and the public in their art-ivism. This group is famously known for creating woodcut prints to tell the unknown stories of Sabah’s rural community, helping to preserve rural culture and traditions as well as amplifying calls for environmental protection, democracy and human rights.

Preserving indigenous heritage and showcasing the arts of the Agta people

The Agtas are the aboriginal Filipinos who have been driven out of their lands to live on mountain tops and far-flung lakeshores. The Savage Mind Bookshop and its offshoot, Kamarin Art Gallery, have reached out to the Agta people of Lake Buhi to provide a means for them to create art, preserve their language and history, and ensure that their heritage and culture are not erased by the country’s rapid industrialisation.

Nurturing the Activist Heart of an Archival Organisation

Black Cultural Archives (BCA) is a national organisation based in London, and is one of the first national heritage organisations to prioritise a living archive of the story of Black people in British society.

“I want to see the UK’s heritage sector being welcoming to everyone and telling stories in an engaging and inclusive way.” - Lisa Anderson, Managing Director of Black Cultural Archives (BCA)

Blind Women’s Orchestra – Al-Nour Wal Al-Amal

Girls with disabilities in Egypt face stigma and discrimination within a conservative society that limits their education, employment, and decision-making opportunities. But Orchestra Al-Nour Wal Al-Amal (‘Light and Hope’), which is composed entirely of blind women, has broken stereotypes and provided a new narrative about Arab women living with disability.

Storytelling for social change

Founded in 2013, not-for-profit organisation Tai Tanzania uses storytelling tools such as 3D animation, radio dramas and short comics to influence positive behavioural change in adolescents by raising awareness about critical social community issues.

Showcasing the talent of artists with disabilities on the big stage

The Inclusive Young Company (iYC) program from the Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) focuses on nurturing and showcasing the talent of young people and adults aged 16 to 35, who identify as persons with disabilities.

“The long-term goal of iYC is to not only have artists with disabilities in the performance making, but also to take on and contribute to the industry via leadership roles.“ - Singapore Repertory Theatre’s Inclusive Young Company program

Arts create safe spaces for difficult conversations

In Nigeria, the Literary Evenings held by the Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation (YELF) attract a hugely diverse crowd. They provide a rare safe space for divided communities to enjoy the arts together and often spark difficult and sensitive conversations.

Pride and passion in arts from poor communities

Teatro Zona Norte means ‘North Zone Theatre’, referring to a territory in Rio de Janeiro where middle class and poor people live. The theatre began in March 2019 and holds drama, dance, visual arts and performance workshops for predominantly Black communities with low socioeconomic backgrounds.

A home where creativity, diversity and architecture meet

Darat al Funun – The Khalid Shoman Foundation is a home for the arts, dedicated to promoting art and artists from the Arab world by providing a platform for contemporary Arab artists, and by supporting art practices and artistic exchange.

“Since the beginning, our spaces have been an oasis for the arts, open to the public to explore and appreciate various forms of contemporary Arab art.” - Luma Hamdan, Director, Darat al Funun

Anthropological tools for artists

Peru’s Dinamo is working to bring anthropology and ethnography skills to artists and communities, so that they can better collaborate and consult with communities in their practices.

“Dinamo always works in a participatory manner, consulting and exchanging knowledge in a non-hierarchical or imposed way, and keeping the community at the centre of every decision.”

Activating the agricultural literacy movement with new media

Aksara Tani is an agricultural literacy movement which collaborates with locals in various sustainable community activities to support the farming culture and traditional practices of Gili Meno.

“One of Aksara Tani’s goals is to regain the sovereignty of the people and their land; they are not averse to business from tourism but are more about creating a counter-narrative to restore some bargaining power to the locals to make the tourism landscape more competitive on a more equal basis.”

Making impactful filmic imagery from the margins

The Salamindanaw Asian Film Festival takes place in the southern island of Mindanao annually and provides a platform for the emerging voices in South-East Asian cinema who come from the peripheries—outside of the film capitals in Manila, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur—to connect with mainstream audiences in General Santos City and serves as a regional hub for South-East Asian cinema.

Engage! Report

Contemporary Asian Australian Performance and Arts on Tour have published their insights from the 2022 Double Delicious tour, a real-world case study that draws on community engagement activities at The Art House Wyong, Bunjil Place, Merrigong Theatre Company and Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre.

There is also a related Toolkit, which provides practical steps to better engage communities and beyond.