Artists & Places explores how involving artists in regeneration projects can improve their quality. The report draws on the lessons of PROJECT, a two-year initiative to transform the role of artists in placemaking.

PROJECT saw artists directly involved in schemes from West Lothian to Hackney and Artists & Places features six case studies demonstrating the contribution which artists can make. Artists bring an innate curiosity to the project and investigate aspects of the local environment that the design team may not be engaging with. This can help identify what is truly authentic about a place, and help market it in a distinctive way.

At Warwick Bar in Birmingham, sound artists Liminal organised a ‘sound walk’ to ‘listen’ to the landscape around the regeneration site. Mike Finkell of ISIS Waterside Regeneration said Liminal’s involvement had a fundamental impact on the company, and helped them exploit the potential of arts and culture to add value to their projects.

But Artists & Places is also a frank appraisal which shows the barriers to creative influence, whether that is being involved too late in the process or regulations hindering creative solutions.

CABE chief executive Richard Simmons stresses that offering an artist a seat at the table is not enough. ‘They need to be properly involved in a scheme, so they can deploy their creative skills effectively,’ he said.

PROJECT supported 30 separate local artistic initiatives, with grants ranging from £2,500 to £15,000 under categories including exploration, vision, team-building, creative homes and creative communities. Individual artworks were not funded: rather, this was about engaging artists in strategic thinking behind regeneration schemes.

PROJECT was funded by CABE and Arts & Business, working with Public Art South West.