Spaces of Resistance of Participatory Arts in Cultural Welfare Initiatives. Insight of Italian Case Studies

This article explores the many challenges that arise when artistic practices are evaluated through the lens of social impact. Such an approach compels artists to engage not only with aesthetic considerations but also with social, community-oriented, and participatory dimensions. We aim to contribute to the understanding of how artistic practices are shaped by the growing emphasis institutions place on generating social outcomes across various policy areas. This occurs within a broader transformation of welfare systems toward models of community welfare, rooted in participatory and collaborative principles. Within this emerging paradigm, the cultural sector is playing an increasingly vital role, as reflected in the concept of Cultural Welfare. The insights shared in this article stem from a systematic analysis of findings gathered through three research that explored how participatory artistic practices take shape within processes of significant social relevance. The results presented show that artistic practices can indeed generate meaningful social effects. However, it is challenging to reconcile artistic creation, which may not always be inherently tied to community engagement or specific social goals, with efforts to involve communities and ensure the sustainability of such practices. This tension gives rise to an ambivalent dynamic: on one hand, it is consciously navigated by artists and cultural organizations within the art system but on the other, it opens potential spaces for creative resistance.