This report by The Audience Agency was commissioned by Arts Council England to help them understand the ways in which Creative People and Places (CPP) projects are currently using digital tools and technologies; for communications, evaluation and collaboration purposes, to reach and engage more people and as part of the creative and artistic programme. 

There are a range of approaches to working with artists across the 21 CPP Places and CPP network commissioned this research in order to understand the wider impact that the programme is having on artistic practice and the cultural sector. The research is more widely relevant to anyone involved in commissioning artists to collaborate with communities.

It uses Creative People and Places practice as the starting point but pulls out transferable learning about what works when commissioning socially engaged art - for artists, for commissioners and for communities. 

These case studies share learning from the Revoluton programme in Luton and give an insight into three projects:

Mapping and analysis of engagement approaches across the Creative People and Places programme by Sarah Boiling and Clare Thurman

Audience engagement is at the heart of the CPP programme, and this research aims to:

• map and analyse the range of different approaches to engage new audiences that are being used across the network
• identify the success factors and challenges of these approaches
• share the learning and insights gained by CPP Places to support audience engagement

This practical resource shares examples, tips and tools drawn from Creative People and Places, showing how projects have involved local people in project-level decision-making.

It presents a range of approaches and learning that we hope will help inform thinking in the wider cultural sector. Woven throughout the resource are questions and quotes drawn from Chrissie Tiller’s Power Up, posed as thinking points.

This think-piece by Chrissie Tiller unearths and explores some of the complexities and challenges of sharing power, drawing on thinking from CPP directors, community managers and other team members, artists and project critical friends. 

This case study by Ecorys explores how Super Slow Way in Pennine Lancashire is supporting the development of artists working in socially-engaged practice. Ecorys is producing a number of case studies as part of the national evaluation of Creative People and Places.

This case study by Ecorys explores how Creative Black Country worked with the Midlands Pub Association and 'Desi' pub landlords to bring a series of artistic commissions to pubs in Sandwell. Ecorys is producing a number of case studies as part of the national evaluation of Creative People and Places.

This brief report by Mark Robinson of Thinking Practice aims to give a flavour of the content and style of our People, Place, Power conference in September 2016, and of some of the learning that came out of it. Individual presentations and films of the keynote presentations can be found on the conference web page.