Documents 

Artful Organisation brings together a group of people with extensive experience of exploring organisational life using diverse and creative ways of exploring, knowing and developing creative responses to the organisational, societal and ecological challenges we face – practitioners who use music, visual art, poetry, storytelling, dance and drama. The experience of involvement in such ways of knowing is not just a means to an end – artful knowing in organisations has an intrinsic value that shapes participants’ experience, perception and behavioural choices relating to the complex responsive processes of which they are a part. Working in a different medium often reveals rich ‘data’ that's already present in an organisation but which is normally not valued or uncovered using conventional analytical tools – Artful Organisations know how to make richer use of what's already there. [editor summary]

This report presents the results of a national online survey of people involved in the community circus sector in Aotearoa New Zealand in the context of international approaches, and to support its development. It responses on the use of circus skills to achieve physical, emotional, mental, therapeutic, spiritual and social benefits for individuals, families and communities. In other words, community circus was perceived to perform community and social work via the medium of circus skills.

The Streetwise Disability Circus Project at Knockavoe was generally considered to be very successful. Feedback from participants, audience members, staff and tutors all highlighted several worthy benefits of the workshops and final showcase, with particular reference to;
• Increased self-confidence and self-esteem
• A sense of fun
• Trying something new
• Improvements in social skills and communication
• Improvements in physical well-being
• Learning new skills