Public arts for inclusive placemaking

This project will make a significant contribution to understanding the role of artists and participatory arts in placemaking practices to promote social inclusivity. It addresses a significant gap by the rigorous study of related perceptions, evaluations and actions, drawing from archival material, observations and interviews in carefully selected case studies where artists have worked closely with planners and local and marginalised
communities. The student will benefit from the supervisors' expertise, training in cutting edge research methods and the project partner's rare access to resources and links with beneficiaries to maximise impact.

This studentship will develop in-depth, practical insights within the thematic remit of CEL by direct involvement in Making the Case, a strategic collaborative research project that the project partner Beam manages in further collaboration with the national Arts & Place Consortium (APC). This allows the candidate to establish a comprehensive body of knowledge of the role of public art in urban planning and public policy evaluation.

This studentship will not only redress the lack of first-hand research at the intersection of public-art-led placemaking and processes of social inclusion and exclusion. The CEL pathway will provide this project with synergetic opportunities for building collaborations with both WRDTP's and Beam's local, multi-regional as well as international key stakeholders (Section 9). It will contribute policy, arts sector and public value by pursing impact activities through the project partner's network of consultants and trustees, Arts & Place Consortium (APC) members and its wider connections within the creative, cultural and heritage
industries.

Hence, this studentship will enhance academic, policy-relevant and impactful research in the key areas of CEL, whilst serving as an interlocutor for Beam's strategic Making the Case project to advocate best practices of inclusive placemaking and models for wide implementation. Furthermore, this studentship will contribute to CEL's research community by providing wider opportunities, such as think-tank seminars and collaborative grant writing, for enhancing innovative scholarship and interdisciplinary research excellence.