Do villages organise mienskip projects more often –

For research by Arcadia and the University of Groningen, Carmen van Bruggen is exploring the strength of the mienskip (community). She looks at how grassroots cultural initiatives emerge, grow and take root in villages and neighbourhoods.

In her latest publication, she maps out more than 350 projects. This creates a broader picture of what ‘mienskip projects’ actually are. What are these projects about? And where do they take place?

Much research focuses on one or a handful of art projects. This research looks at the bigger picture instead. And something stands out: it’s often in rural areas, where there are fewer cultural institutions, that initiatives are booming. But are there really more of them than in the city? And do they differ from one another?

The research shows that more than half of the projects are performances, such as music, theatre and readings. These are formats that many people can take part in, both on stage and behind the scenes. Cultural walks also come up regularly: routes past places where art can be seen and experienced.

Looking at the differences between villages, smaller towns and cities, theatre plays a big role in small villages in particular. Other art forms, such as visual art or music, are less common there. Larger places see more variety, although theatre remains the most common form everywhere.

No clear differences were found in the topics chosen between urban, in-between and rural areas. They’re often about the community itself, or about culture and local traditions. At a time when differences between city and countryside are often emphasised, that’s a striking outcome.

The differences do show up in the places where projects take place. In rural areas, a lot happens outdoors or in locations that are temporarily transformed. Think of a converted barn hosting a concert, or a garden where a theatre performance comes to life. In small villages, almost 70 percent of projects take place outdoors, compared to 27 percent in cities.

The overall picture shows that these projects are spread across the whole of Fryslân (see figure 1). Earlier research shows that education level can influence where these kinds of initiatives emerge. This research confirms that picture. At the same time, it also points to a clear rural effect. The research shows that rural communities are just a little more likely to take the step of starting a cultural project together.

Exactly why that is isn’t entirely clear yet. There are some clues, though. Figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) show that people in rural areas do more volunteer work. But that raises new questions too. Does it come down to a culture where looking out for one another is more self-evident? Or do other factors play a role?

In follow-up research, Carmen will dig deeper into this, among other things through conversations with the people involved.