Inbetween: Cultural regeneration in market towns

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This network will bring together an international, interdisciplinary body of researchers to critically consider the interaction of visual arts practice, policy and cultural infrastructure in the regeneration of market towns. It is innovative in tackling core research questions through practice-led research and interdisciplinary symposia. Events will be sited in England, Scotland and Wales to examine the impact of devolved governance and cultural infrastructures. As market towns struggle in the current economic climate, this project is timely in pursuing the feasibility of alternative strategies to enable market towns to secure a sustainable future. In so doing, it aspires to the aims of the AHRC's Connected Communities programme.Research ContextThe Labour Government launched its Market Towns Initiative in 2001 to address the problems posed by demographic shifts and changes in retail habits, work/life balance and general mobility. In response, several regional networks were launched throughout the UK and the umbrella body 'Action for Market Towns' formed (www.towns.org.uk). Recent research has developed a definition of variously termed market, small or rural towns as having between 1500 and 40,000 inhabitants. This places such towns as 'in-between' places and they have been largely neglected in studies especially related to cultural activity. Often market towns have contradictory fortunes: they are desirable place to live but become commuter towns with inhabitants who commute to their workplace and to larger retail centres. This leaves the town centre vulnerable and the town's cultural identity challenged. The Department of Environment, Transport and Regions see market towns as having considerable policy relevance as a rural hub for economic development and regeneration. Almost a decade after the launch of the Market Towns Initiative, the role that of visual arts practice in this context remains inadequately explored.In order to tackle this gap in knowledge the network will innovatively bring together practice-based and theoretical researchers from a range of disciplines including: arts practice, architecture and planning, heritage, cultural and economic regeneration, cultural policy and arts administration. In recent years, vacated shops and shop fronts have become emblematic of the problems faced by market towns but also a prime site of artistic intervention. Keeping in vein with this, the proposed networking events will address research questions through artistic practice in public locations, such as market squares and shop fronts, as well as workshops.Aims and ObjectivesThe aim of this network is to develop new understanding and critical analysis of the role that visual arts have played and might play in the regeneration of market towns with a view to influencing policy and informing best practice.It will do so by:- Networking a multi-disciplinary body of artists, theorists, professionals and policy makers engaged in market town studies and cognate fields, such as planning, heritage and regeneration. Disseminating results back to key research groups and networks (e.g. Action for Market Towns).- Developing a knowledge base of practice (best and worst; perceived successful and unsuccessful drawn from case studies and their evaluations) - Facilitating knowledge transfer between participants- Generating critical dialogue through artistic practice, symposia discussions and on-line debate- Creating artworks in the public domain as catalysts for discussion, engaging the public in wider debateThe network will develop a new knowledge base on cultural regeneration in market towns and facilitate knowledge transfer between artists, regeneration professionals, community organisations and policy makers.