---
title: "Community engagement"
description: "The practice of involving residents in shaping a public artwork or program: from consultation on themes and sites to co-creation of the work itself."
glossary: "https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary"
source: "https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/community-engagement"
---

# Community engagement

> The practice of involving residents in shaping a public artwork or program: from consultation on themes and sites to co-creation of the work itself.

Glossary: https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary  
Source: https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/community-engagement

Engagement runs on a spectrum: inform (tell people what's coming), consult
(ask and genuinely listen), involve (residents help shape decisions), and
co-create (residents help make the work). None is inherently better (a
memorial demands deeper engagement than a parkade mural), but the level
should be chosen deliberately and said out loud, because nothing burns trust
faster than consultation that was really an announcement.

The overlooked half of engagement is the record: write down what was heard
and what changed because of it. That document defends the project later, and
it's the difference between engagement and theater.

A public guide can carry engagement past the ribbon-cutting:
[moderated community contributions](https://www.civiccollection.com/community-contributions) let residents
keep adding photos, stories, and corrections to the record, with the program
still deciding what publishes.

Related terms: [Placemaking](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/placemaking), [Artist-in-residence](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/artist-in-residence), [Selection panel](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/selection-panel)

## Mentioned in

- [How to Evaluate Public Art Mapping Software](https://www.civiccollection.com/blog/how-to-evaluate-public-art-mapping-software)