Why are the arts important to social inclusion?

Across Britain the arts are helping individuals and communities by:

• Offering innovative solutions
• Building bridges
• Expressing differences positively
• Breaking boundaries

In one or more of these ways, the arts help to address areas of social exclusion and bring key benefits to those involved:

• Disability: Supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities
• Health: Contributing to the improvement of the nation’s health
• Crime: Helping to break the cycle of offending behaviour
• Neighbourhood Renewal: Building community pride and supporting neighbourhood renewal
• Cultural Diversity: Promoting understanding and respect between our different cultures

Social inclusion and the arts work together
DCMS aims to extend access to high quality arts. To achieve this, issues of social inclusion are at the heart of much that DCMS does. There are many examples of arts organisations that work in this area and do not compromise on quality.

By involving more people in the arts, from a wide range of backgrounds, we are drawing on a greater pool of talent which will further develop excellence in the arts.

It can also be beneficial to artists to involve people from different sectors or communities who don’t have an arts background as part of their practice. It can help them to produce new work, enable them to learn from others, and get a different perspective.