The Community Artist as Community Development Catalyst: an Evaluation of a Pilot Project

Relations between culture and community are analyzed in an evaluation of a community arts project conducted in a small Colorado community. A visual artist worked with residents during a four-week residency in a wide variety of arts activities designed to promote community development goals. Surveys, interviews and direct observation revealed that the entire community was affected positively by the project. The community systems impacted included: the change agent (the artist), the change agent system (the sponsoring local arts council), the action system (the local arts community and artists) and the target and client systems (the community at large). These impacts are interpreted as confirmation that community arts can indeed serve as a catalyst for community development.