Participatory Art

Participatory art is an approach that moves artistic production beyond the act of a single artist by incorporating the experiences, knowledge, and labor of audiences, participants, and different communities into the process; it focuses less on the object itself and more on process, relationships, and the collective production of meaning. It aims to share the stages of decision-making, production, and interpretation, and values creating spaces for social connection, empowerment, dialogue, and encounter. Often through workshops, performances, interventions, and collaborative projects, it makes the boundaries between art and everyday life more permeable.

Suggested Sources:
Claire Bishop. Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship. Verso Books, 2023.

Tania Bruguera, et al. Tania Bruguera: Talking to Power = Hablándole al Poder. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 2018.