If you are looking for an opportunity to build community through working on arts projects, BCA could provide you with a process and structure for a successful outcome. The free tools and resources on this site are free to download and use, and we are happy to answer your queries and share your stories.

Building Community through Arts is a process that has been developed over nine years by a multi-disciplinary team to address issues of isolation and fragmentation in our society. It became the outreach programme of Kew Studio, and specialised in using the arts media to build community.

Scott Peck in The Different Drum describes his own experience of the ‘isolation and fragmentation that have become the order of the day.’ The aim of the BCA approach is to combat the forces that separate people from each other, and disintegrate society. The methods seeks to enable people from differing backgrounds to:

  • communicate more effectively
  • release their innate creative gifts
  • enable others, in turn, to find greater enjoyment in life

In order to cross boundaries with awareness and skill, a multi-disciplinary team came together. The team drew on professional experience in the community and the arts, facilitation, social psychology, documentation, education, the voluntary sector and business consultancy. They were a group of individuals involved in action research, building on their own experience with clients, while drawing on a wide range of consultants and authorities.

This website provides you with resources based on what the team has learnt.

What People Can Get From Participating in Creative Activities

  • The chance to share things about themselves
  • A feeling of being valued
  • A change of mood
  • Enjoyment and fun
  • A chance to spend quality time with other people, including those who are responsible for them in some way. This can dramatically shift relationships.
  • Reminders of the past
  • Thoughts for the future
  • A chance to use their minds and express their originality
  • Distraction
  • Choice
  • A chance to share emotions, feelings, thoughts and memories
  • A relief of frustration and boredom
  • A change of location
  • The chance to try something new
  • A chance to socialise with others involved
  • Relaxation
  • Stimulation
  • Motivation – a feeling of purpose
  • Confidence
  • Understanding
  • Learning
  • The satisfaction of achieving something or creating something
  • A feeling of trust – developing between those involved
  • The relief of feelings of isolation

What Organisers Get from Providing Creative Activities

  • Job Satisfaction
  • A break from routine
  • The chance to build good relationships with those in their care
  • Fun and enjoyment
  • Stress sometimes!
  • Relaxation
  • The chance to involve others e.g. relatives of those in their charge
  • A change of role
  • Knowledge – they can learn a lot from the people for whom they care or manage
  • Confidence
  • A chance to share things about themselves
  • A chance to strengthen the bond with others in their charge and with colleagues
  • A chance to be creative
  • A change from daily, practical tasks
  • A chance to be on a more equal footing with those for whom they care
  • A deeper understanding of those with whom they live and / or work