Arts, Culture, and Creativity as a Strategy for Countering the Negative Social Impacts of Immigration Stress and Gentrification

Abstract

Background. This article looks at the role that arts, culture, and creativity play in promoting social cohesion and community well-being. It presents research on the role that a community arts center plays in an ethnic enclave that is under stress of immigration and gentrification. Method. An academic–community research partnership conducted this research. A mixed-methods approach was used. Twenty-four interviews were conducted with stakeholders (including community leaders, neighborhood residents, and business owners). Surveys (n = 102) were done of community members and those who participate in the Center activities. Results. Interviewees and survey respondents point to the importance of the ethnic enclave as a close-knot community that helps to foster a sense of belonging, security, and cultural identity. Arts, culture, and creativity plays a role in maintaining this sense of social cohesion, despite the threat of gentrification. Engagement in the arts and creative practice are important for buffering the stress of immigration. Discussion. The center has an important role as a critical cultural, civic, and creative space for the neighborhood and the broader community who sees the ethnic enclave as their cultural home.