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I posted the following text on to the wrong forum site (with the heading Newcomer), so it is reproduced from that site (what do you think about ccd.net) to this one. Hopefully I am in the right forum this time.

After examination of the ccd.net site under the links titled What’s ccd?; ccd glossary; Broadly speaking; and a number of other on line sources providing their definitions of ccd; in using those definitions it still remains unclear to me as to what ccd actually is. To be more precise, the definition of ccd seems to increasingly occupy the spectrum of all forms of human expression when comparing one ccd definition source against another. By the limited source of material available to me, the most basic of definitions are not given (eg the definition of art) but understanding of what art actually is seems to be the key to understanding ccd.

The term art as used in available ccd definitions, point to it being integral to the ccd definition. An example is the link What’s ccd? where the second sentence states “It’s about applying community-based arts practice to address an issue of concern identified by a local community.” Art, therefore, seems to be inextricably linked to ccd, and vice versa. Under the link ccd glossary there is no definition of art which is surprising because use of the term art is liberal in ccd definitions.

Art, according to the Oxford dictionary in its noun form means: skill, especially human skill as opposed to nature, (ability in) skilful execution as an object in itself. It is obvious that skill is present in most vocations and life experiences in the vastness of human expression. Whether across the social, economic, political, philanthropic or religious sectors, art as an expression of human skill is everywhere.

The quote by Malcolm McKinnon in Artwork March 1998 says ‘…the shift from ‘community art’ to ‘cultural development’ is a theoretical and political repositioning intended to move beyond a ‘soft’ marginalised realm to a more credible, central location within the larger cultural discourse.’ It seems not to require a great amount of grey matter to conclude that the shift from community art to cultural development alters the popular or original definition of ccd and therefore, the definition of art.

However, the qualifications used by Malcolm McKinnon in the above ie ‘political repositioning’ and ‘larger cultural discourse’ are most revealing. For me, ccd is more than community art or cultural development. Consequently I interpret the definition of ccd from the material in front of me as restrictive and quite the opposite of what it purports to be. Politics and culture are only two aspects that capture the essence of a ‘broader humanity’; a 'human family' with all of its pitfalls and failings (its bad points) as well as its triumphs and victories (its good points).

A community obviously undergoes some form of development from its present condition even if a negative influence is brought to bear on it. The direction of its development might be retrograde but it is still development away from its present condition. Where and how do standards apply if the saying ‘one persons food is another persons poison’ has relevance? There are a number of conclusions I arrive at when analysing the material in front of me and they are:

 ccd could not just be about community arts applying itself through arts workers but would need to be broadened to include other expressions of human skill in other sectors eg social arts, economic arts, political arts, philanthropic arts and religious arts expressing themselves through their respective agents of change (arts workers)
 in the broader global aspect where the incumbent regime of power known commonly as governmentality dominates, what is identified as ccd may actually be the practice of human beings attempting to bring order into the chaos around them, based on self-improvement and self-regulation
 those Indigenous cultures already whole and complete that do not require change by development or by transformation, but have been colonised and rendered dependent by the dominant society, are not practicing ccd as defined by their dominant peers but are actually practicing survival

However, being a newcomer to the field of ccd I might be ‘right off the planet’ with my analyses. In which case, the ‘space cadet lunatic fringe’ would be my only means of stimulus for ccd. However, I still have many more questions on ccd or an alternative term/definition that I would like to receive clarification on.

Cheers.

Other messages for this discussion:

The meaning of the very name of this sector is the most frequently sought definition by newcomers to the field. Ccd is not an artform, but an arts practice. That means it is not about artwork so much as ways of doing any form of artwork.

It may be useful to think of the phrase as a description rather than as a name. Ccd activities can incorporate a range of practices and methodologies which are often developed specifically for each project. This includes using the latest new media or exploring the traditional cultural activities of people from any background.

Unlike other forms of enjoying the arts, ccd provides communities with the chance to express themselves, and to create and manage the projects in which they participate.

Activities tend to be identified as ccd if they feature at least some of the following aspects:

* community members and artists/artworkers working together with the community members being active participants in cultural activities, rather than passive audience members, and the artists/artworkers providing their expertise through facilitating the cultural activities which the community wants to undertake;

* community culture being expressed, explored, interpreted, presented or developed;

* community members gaining new skills and being exposed to new challenges; and
social and developmental changes taking place alongside artistic outcomes - i.e. something changes through the exposure of ideas, issues and community members to arts and cultural activities. Examples of these changes might be the addressing of community issues, the development of new skills, increased communication and networking, or self-representation of the community to themselves and to others.

Want to agree, comment, elaborate, qualify, dispute or debate? Just enter your comments via the reply to this thread box below.

CCD is a process in which community development principles - democracy, social justice, participation, advocacy - in conjunction with cultural tools - theatre, new media, visual arts - to create community based arts practice that is powerful, has collective meanings and has a long term impact on participants.

Riccardo - this is a definition I am using in the development on my MA thesis on long term outcomes of CCD projects.

Michelle

I think it is important that a definition is sufficiently open that community based practices which only meet part of the definition are not excluded.

Cultural maintenance, for example can be a valid activity in terms of long tem development of both social and cultural aspects of a community, and thus I think it is part of CCD practice, even though it would not strictly meet all of the ideas put forward in Riccardo or Michelle's definition.

So I think these definitions are useful so long as they are inclusive, not exclusive.

Allen raises some interesting points, and I think it is very important to note that the definitions supplied here are really meant to be 'indicators' or even 'road signs' on the direction of ccd rather than concrete or limiting definitions. If they don't in fact do that, then I hope these and subsequent postings will turn this section of ccd.net into something which does.

CCD is both a fluid and hopefully developing field of practice. That means that any definition supplied will be updated/superceded by what the field calling itself ccd is actually doing.

Starting with the latter points of Allen's post:
"ccd could not just be about community arts applying itself through arts workers but would need to be broadened to include other expressions of human skill in other sectors eg social arts, economic arts, political arts, philanthropic arts and religious arts expressing themselves through their respective agents of change (arts workers)"

Certainly when it comes to funding bodies, 'Art' is a defining factor of mainstream ccd practice. Can you apply ccd principles to other endeavours as Allen suggests? Definitely.

Would you call it then 'Cultural' Development? Perhaps it is 'culture' which needs defining rather than Art. My instincts (developed through my original training as an archaeologist) are that Culture is everything which incorporates a way of life - not just the narrower cultural practices and cultural products usually referred to as Art.

That means fashion, architecture, cooking and even things like economics, sport and political practices are indeed Cultural phenomena. So yes I would agree. Community based developmental activiity in any of these areas could just as easily be seen as ccd.

"Those Indigenous cultures already whole and complete that do not require change by development or by transformation, but have been colonised and rendered dependent by the dominant society, are not practicing ccd as defined by their dominant peers but are actually practicing survival"

I don't think that undertaking traditional cultural practices is quite what I would term ccd. Developing new ones certainly is. I think there must be a 'developmental' aspect whether that is developing a new or changing community culture or using cultural activities to develop some other aspect of a community is equally ccd.

As to the word development, I think it tends to assume a positive change rather than a negative one...maybe not in terms of dictionary definition but certainly in its use. Sure a cancer 'develops' but you wouldn't say that the human body develops as a result of that cancer.

Allen, you aren't a space cadet as far as I can see from your post(!) and it is always good to remind yourself that progress tends to come from dissent rather than agreement.

I see what people are trying to do here, but I'm not convinced it will work.

Definitions are all about excluding things, so as to narrow your meaning to something precice. In trying to make the Idea of CCD really inclusive, you end up with something that either isn't a definition, or something which excludes people and work that you don't want to exclude. Then again, wasn't CCD coined in order to exclude certain parts of what was known as Community Arts?

The funding bodies all say it must include a professional artsworker, but I think that might be more to do with their breifs and a need to fund artists than it has to do with what ccd is. Can a non-arts youth worker and a buch of teenagers do ccd? I think so.

Is it art? Is it Culture? What does development mean? All of things are important issues if you are trying to come up with a definition, but maybe it doesn't help in the end.

Can anyone make a two or three sentence statement about what it is, from which any casual reader would understand what it isn't? I have my doubts.

I'll have a go...
"CCD is a process through which communities develop their cultural lives via engaging in arts activity in a way that they are involved in decision making, creation and realisation of artistic and cultural products in any form of the arts"

...it fails, however, to avoid falling into the traps I pointed out
great - but what does process mean? What type of involvement/development/arts activity etc.

I don't think you can easily develop a digestable and succint answer to the question "what is ccd?"