Weaving in a Wider Audience
Ripples from a creative project can be hard to predict.
You may know you are contributing to a kaupapa that will connect with people in a range of different ways, but it is often only with patience that the many tributaries of the flowing water may take shape.
In 2022 Creative Waikato started one of these rippling projects. A unique exploration of what an ‘artist-wage’ or ‘UBI’ type project could be, based in local communities of the Waikato. The project was called Whiria te Tāngata (weave the people together). It was a multi-community artist-in-residence pilot to enable 10 artists to engage in creative practice and develop work with and alongside their communities for a full year.
With support from Manatū Tāonga (Ministry of Culture and Heritage) we were able to develop this first-of-its-kind project to shape a pathway to further support the recognition of the value arts, culture and creativity bring to our communities through engaging local artists in meaningful, community-connected mahi over an extended time frame. This was a part-time support programme that understood the value of having artists working in communities and the impact of having that work being accessible to the people around them.
We knew it wasn’t going to be enough to just do the project. We needed to be able to continue to demonstrate the measurable impact on the sector (in areas of sustainability, investment, support, and visibility), but the impacts that might be experienced in the wider community (mental health, identity, connection and social cohesion).
We did this in two ways:
One a formal impact report, the other a documentary film. Both of these research outcomes were conducted independently to help us get a clearer picture of what was happening in the programme outside of our direct involvement.
Documentary film as a research tool helps to provide a more narrative qualitative understanding of the impact of something. It utilises the voices of the people involved, the artists, mentors, community members as a way of sharing the impact of something in a way that data and analytics aren’t able to do. Seeing and hearing someone speak candidly about something they are actively involved in helps us to get a glimpse into the intangible nature of some of these activities.
When we decided on including a film in the project outline for Whiria te Tāngata we at first thought it would be useful for reporting and accountability in the initial pilot programme. But then we also hoped it would find its way to broader audiences. To connect with more people as part of the story and ripple of this project.
It was lovely to have a screening event at a local cinema with the artists, families and people involved. This was also an opportunity to share the stories with other community enablers and contributors. (This also helped us to secure support for an extension of this concept with local community houses in a collaboration with Community Waikato.) But the goal was always to share it with audiences who didn’t really know us or our work. Film festivals were one avenue, but the real goal was to find a broadcast partner who could share the work with other people outside of our ecosystem.
Enter RNZ Video. RNZ (Radio New Zealand) is “New Zealand’s independent public service multimedia organisation”. After sharing some of the story of Whiria te Tāngata with the Culture 101 programme we started to explore the possibilities of having ‘Weaving the People’ find a new home on the video platform. RNZ seemed like the perfect place to share this story as they are a trusted and independent broadcaster who have a commitment to NZ audiences and communities.
So as the ripples of this project continue to expand and develop we are very excited to share that ‘Weaving the People’, a documentary film about Whiria te Tāngata directed by award-winning filmmaker Dan Inglis, is now available to stream through RNZ Video
Make some time to check out this heartwarming story of Waikato artists working with local communities to engage in the transformative creative process. As Leafa shares in the film, “I would be so bold as to say, that Whiria te Tāngata is actually more than just artists working in community. I think it’s a model for rehabilitation for the whole of society”
Click the link below to watch the film.