The conference opened with an introduction to social inclusion policy objectives by leading national arts and rural agencies. Focussing on work with rural youth, rural healthcare provision, the needs of marginal farming communities, and the social and entrepreneurial role of rural women, a programme of workshops gave an overview of social inclusion initiatives being developed by rural support organisations and grass roots rural communities, revealing an impressive range of projects being developed throughout the country. Interestingly, there is evidence of an emergent area of practice which seems to have a different ideology, critical orientation and ethos, and is fulfilling a research and development role that supports the government's rural affairs agenda by delivering practical and sustainable solutions to economic and social problems in the rural sphere.



Rural Shift Conference: Rural Rap - a young delegate makes a presentation during the session on rural stress. Photo © Littoral

Engagement with rural issues offers the arts new audiences, intellectual challenges, creative partnerships, and contexts for the production and presentation of contemporary artwork. Some urban arts and media groups are now also active in the rural arena, using new media, digital arts, advanced telecommunications, installations and other experimental forms to develop practical and imaginative solutions to rural issues and needs. This all adds to the possibility of developing a new rural arts tradition, proposed as a counter and challenge to contemporary (largely urban) arts practice and aesthetics, contributing to delivering the SEU/PAT 10 agenda by combating rural social and economic exclusion, and addressing some key priorities for rural regeneration.

The need for a wider debate on the role of the arts in the context of rural regeneration, and in other countryside and agricultural initiatives is clear. The Rural Affairs Forum for England (RAFE) has expressed an interest in exploring new links with the arts. Given the vital role played by the arts in regeneration of the post-industrial urban economy and inner city communities, the Government's radical proposals for regeneration of the rural sector now present the arts with new challenges and opportunities which should not be ignored.

The complexity and systemic nature of rural problems, exacerbated by the impact of foot and mouth disease (FMD) and a general downturn in the agricultural economy, requires a high degree of professionalism, integrity, and practical skills on the part of the arts practitioners. Rural communities have considerable creative, imaginative and cultural resources and views, and prefer to work on long-term agendas. The strong metro-centric bias in some elements of the art world where rural arts practice and art work dealing with rural and agricultural issues are regarded as peripheral and/or irrelevant needs to be challenged. Government policy is the re-connection of urban and rural economies and communities.

This continuing anti-rural bias in some areas of the arts is unhelpful, and an impediment to any future urban - rural dialogue partnerships.

In terms of its wider recognition and development as a new art genre, the new rural art is still a somewhat undefined and problematic area of practice. It has no agreed history and no critical and theoretical co-ordinates to guide its development and efficacy as an established art form or its practical contribution to strategic rural regeneration. Development is constrained by the lack of a formal pedagogy, a nationally co-ordinated research programme, or agreed evaluative criteria that might enhance its professional credibility and aid its adoption within the mainstream. Without this the new rural art will almost certainly flounder and fail to deliver its full potential.

In the history of artists' engagement with rural communities and issues, there appear to be four main phases of development. The first began with the pioneering arts and rural development experiments by Dartington Hall during the 1930s which, after the war, became subsumed into a second phase - the establishment of dedicated rural arts agencies and rural touring networks during the 1960s and 70s. During the 1980s and 90s some organisations evolved into a third or 'specialist' phase of development, either as permanent rural arts centres (such as Beaford Arts) with well developed outreach programmes, or as rural media development agencies like the Rural Media Company and Forest of Dean Rural Community Radio. All are committed to delivering of longer-term social, cultural and economic investment in rural communities.

The fourth phase of development has come about more recently. Under the cumulative and negative impact of globalisation, shifting rural demographics, CAP reform, the crisis in farming, and later on BSE and FMD, rural and farming communities slid into a rapid spiral of economic and social decline. In response the Government charged DEFRA - its new department for rural affairs - with delivering radical restructuring of agriculture and regenerating the rural economy. The radical nature of the changes and the need to address rural decline has led some artists and arts organisations to rethink their creative strategies completely, and adopt a more fundamental and pragmatic approach to rural problems.

This shift in practice seems to have five key areas. Firstly, rural social documentary and investigative art projects addressing specific rural issues and generating new understanding of rural, countryside and farming issues.

Secondly, developing new practical and imaginative strategies to address specific rural issues and needs. Such projects are often open-ended and experimental by nature, adapted to cope with real- life situations of uncertainty or complexity, and employing processes borrowed from other arts practice. They encourage development of hybrid urban/rural economic, social and cultural interfaces and aim to align arts projects more effectively with the strategic rural regeneration programmes.

Thirdly, investing in rural creativity and community-led initiatives that train artists to work alongside local people, learn from being 'inside' the rural community experience and develop projects that enhance and reinforce the creative potential, self-confidence and entrepreneurial and imaginative skills of local communities.

Fourthly, enhancing the skill-base of rural communities to develop new economic opportunities using new media, advanced telecommunications and ICT resources and the development of arts-based rural economic and social enterprise initiatives.

Finally, - blue skies/ green fields - the arts contributing to new thinking in rural practice, creative research and experimental arts projects that investigate and progress new thinking on rural issues, and develop new ways of working on issues of agricultural change, rural regeneration and the future of the countryside.

These categories require further refinement, but for the time being they can serve as the basic co-ordinates of a new genre of rural arts practice, which not only addresses a wide range of rural issues, but also has implications for future arts development, criticism and aesthetic discourse, and develops a new 'rural' aesthetic, with a strong social, ecological and ethical orientation to inform agricultural and rural policy and is a counter to the dominant urban arts discourse.

Nevertheless, it is important not to inflate the achievements of rural arts work, nor of the arts groups currently involved - there are many unresolved problems still to be addressed. There is a lack of clear targeting and self-critical awareness amongst some practitioners that leads to an unevenness of quality. There are aspects of rural social and economic problems that artists seem unwilling to tackle, or find difficulties in resolving. There is also a tendency on the part of some arts groups to compress or curtail the vital process of consultation with host communities, often due to lack of time, resources, or training, with a detrimental effect on the success of the rural partnerships and the quality of work. There are no agreed criteria for evaluating the more experimental rural arts partnerships, nor is there a coherent picture of how the funding and resources currently being invested in this area are being deployed. All this points to the need to establish a co-ordinated educational, research and training programme to resolve the problems. Given the largely metro-centric and art world/market orientation of much university and art school teaching, this new programme could be aligned more closely with rural experiences and support of the Government's new agenda for rural regeneration. Until the problems are overcome, the current status quo may further undermine the reputation of the new rural art.

There are some historical precedents and current models for a new rural arts doctrine that could be explored further. Dartington College of Arts may well be in a position to continue to lead. Aune Head Arts in Devon are pioneering some interesting artist trainee placements on farms and in rural communities and Grays School of Art in Aberdeen is exploring alternative models for arts projects in remote rural areas. Some agricultural colleges are also developing rural craft, environmental art and (rural) public art programmes to boost their student intake. In the USA and in Germany rural arts and arts and agriculture summer schools have been organised to train artists wishing to work on rural and farming projects.

Contact: Ian Hunter, LITTORAL Arts
42 Lodge Mill Lane,
Turn Village, Ramsbottom,
Lancashire, BL0 0RW;
Tel & FAX: 01706 827 961
e-mail: littoral@btopenworld.com

RURAL SHIFT Conference reports available price £18.90, including postage & packing.