From Network to Meshwork Executive Summary | Page 20

The findings were then reformulated as four key challenges:
• External roles & awareness: there are
challenges in defining, conceptualising and
articulating social practice, its roles and
purpose, its typologies, its constituencies
and workings.
• External commissioning & participation:
there are sometimes unrealistic / uninformed
expectations from project partners (e.g.
commissioners, participants, members
of the public) and low levels of funding
for the tasks required and time needed to
deliver excellent outcomes; there is a lack
of knowledge and overview of the social
practice funding landscape.
• Internal support and resources: there is
a lack of support and infrastructure for
social projects; provision is not joined
up, artists working in social practice don’t
have access to the levels of validation
typical of other areas visual arts sector.
• Internal capacity building: there is a lack
of skills and training, network functions,
and professional support systems for social
art practitioners and stakeholders.
Eight actions are suggested to meet these challenges. We see these being
led by artists, with the necessary support of others who have a stake in the
work — e.g. commissioners, funders, other representatives of influential third
sector organisations, participants and audiences.
1. Production of a journal-as-forum,
specifically for social practice (the
exemplar produced during the research is
available in hard copy and as an online
pdf here https://www.axisweb.org/models-ofvalidation/content/social-works/2018/socialworks-open/)
2. Social library / centre, offering resources
and live project opportunities to social
practice artists and other stakeholders