Locals & Stories

Celebrating the people, places and stories that shape a community

Every suburb is full of stories: places that hold memories, people who call themselves locals, and everyday experiences that give a community its character. Locals & Stories is a place-based art program inviting residents to explore their connection to where they live and transform personal memories, observations and experiences into artworks. Through the shared creativity and connection, individual stories become part of a collective portrait of the local community.

Research by VicHealth⁠ highlights the relationship between creativity, social connection, belonging and community wellbeing, and its guidance encourages councils to use creative and community-led programs to strengthen local connections.

What stories would your suburb tell if its residents suddenly became artists?

1. Vision

Locals & Stories aims to celebrate the local identity and community connection by turning residents’ stories, memories and experiences into contemporary artworks.

Locals & Stories sees art not simply as an inspiring activity, but as a tool for community strengthening. By offering opportunities for people to meet, create, share experiences and see their neighbourhood through a different lens, the program helps to enrich the social life of local communities.

Shared artistic experience can contribute to building a stronger sense of place and belonging. VicHealth identifies connection to people, local communities, culture and local spaces as an important part of wellbeing, and highlights everyday creativity as an opportunity for councils to strengthen connection and belonging.

2. Why it matters

A healthy community is more than the infrastructure and green hubs within a neighbourhood. It is also about relationships between people, their sense of belonging and ability to participate in community life.

Locals & Stories creates an accessible space where residents can meet, express themselves, discover different perspectives and develop a deeper connection to the place they call home.

This approach is supported by VicHealth research on connected and creative communities⁠, which identifies social connection and creativity as important contributors to community wellbeing. VicHealth also notes that arts participation can strengthen community connection, provide opportunities for self-exploration and help create welcoming environments.

Locals & Stories can complement existing council initiatives in community development, social connection, inclusion, wellbeing, placemaking, arts&culture and community engagement, adding a creative and participatory dimension to work already taking place locally.

3. Objectives

Our program is designed to:

Strengthen local connections and social cohesion
Celebrate local identity and sense of place
Encourage creative participation and self-expression
Connect residents across ages, cultures and backgrounds
Create opportunities for residents to share lived experience and local knowledge
Capture stories and experiences that contribute to the community history
Encourage participation for people who may not normally engage with arts programs
Create opportunities for residents to contribute to the cultural life of their neighbourhood

4. Who it is for

Locals & Stories can be developed for local residents of all ages and backgrounds, including families with young kids and pets, older or disabled residents, multicultural communities, newcomers, community groups and local organisations.

The program can also be tailored to specific communities, neighbourhoods or themes identified by Council (for example, new communities, culturally diverse neighbourhoods, older residents, young people or communities experiencing social isolation).

Importantly, Locals & Stories can complement the existing community-building initiatives. It can work alongside neighbourhood events, community festivals, library programs, community centres, neighbourhood houses, cultural programs, placemaking projects, wellbeing initiatives and local engagement activities.

By introducing contemporary art as a shared activity, the program can provide another pathway for residents to participate, connect and enrich their social life.

This aligns with VicHealth guidance on community engagement and partnerships⁠, which encourages councils to co-design opportunities for social connection around lived experience, community storytelling, intergenerational activities and creative projects.

5. Program Structure

Locals & Stories combines artist-led creative workshops, storytelling, conversation and exploration of place, with participants developing artworks inspired by their everyday life.

Program can explore themes such as:

Our Neighbourhood
Then & Now
Generations of Place
Hello, I’m a Newby
Shared Spaces
People Who Make Our Community
Memories of Place
Nostalgia (historical record and change)

The final outcome can include a community exhibition, temporary public display, digital collection, community archive or other creative presentation developed with the partner organisation.

Examples and program formats available on request.

6. Expected Outcomes

For participants

Developing creative confidence and self-expression
New social connections and relationships
A stronger sense of belonging and connection to place
Opportunities to share personal experiences and be heard
Increased participation in local community life
Positive experiences that support social inclusion and emotional wellbeing

For the community

Stronger relationships between residents
Greater understanding of different cultures, generations and lived experiences
Increased sense of local identity and belonging
Greater visibility of local stories and community knowledge
New opportunities for participation and social connection
A stronger sense of community resilience and collective identity

Creative activity can contribute to healthier communities by creating safe environments where people can connect, express themselves and learn.

VicHealth⁠ identifies arts and cultural participation as a way to strengthen community connection and improve wellbeing. Its place-based guidance also highlights the role of positive social networks in building resilience, belonging and mental health.

Locals & Stories provides a practical, community-based opportunity to bring these principles into action using contemporary art as a creative tool for connection, participation, belonging and community wellbeing.

For Council

Inclusive community engagement
A creative way to capture local knowledge and lived experience
Support for community development and social connection priorities
Opportunities to engage residents who may not participate in other activities
A tangible creative outcome that can be shared through exhibitions, public displays, digital platforms or community archives
A program that can connect existing council services, community organisations and cultural partners around the shared creative project

This approach is aligned to the Local Government Act 2020⁠, which identifies community engagement as one of the core principles guiding Victorian local government and requires councils to maintain a community engagement policy.

7. Partnership Opportunities

Art Connecting Communities partners with local councils, libraries, community centres, neighbourhood houses, community organisations and cultural institutions to deliver Locals & Stories.

The program can support council priorities across:

Community development
Arts and culture
Social connection and inclusion
Community wellbeing
Placemaking
Local identity
Community engagement
Intergenerational connection
Cultural participation

Locals & Stories can also be delivered as a grant funded community project, with potential support through relevant council community grants, arts and culture grants, neighbourhood and place-based initiatives, wellbeing programs and partnership funding.

The program is particularly relevant to councils looking for creative ways to strengthen community participation and connection. The Victorian Government identifies community engagement as a core local government principle, while VicHealth provides practical guidance for councils seeking to strengthen social connection and wellbeing through creative, place-based initiatives.

8. Bring Locals & Stories to Your Suburb

Bring Locals & Stories to your neighbourhood and give residents the opportunity to become artists, storytellers and creators of their community’s story.

Partner with Art Connecting Communities to develop the program to your community needs →

Research & references

VicHealth — Connected and Creative Communities⁠ — social connection, creativity, belonging, place and community wellbeing.
VicHealth — Community Engagement & Partnerships⁠ — lived experience, community storytelling, co-design, creativity and social connection.
VicHealth — Arts and Social Connection⁠ — arts participation, community connection and wellbeing.
VicHealth — How Art Improves Mental Health and Wellbeing⁠ — evidence relating arts participation to connection, belonging and wellbeing.
Victorian Government — Principles of the Local Government Act 2020⁠ — community engagement as a core principle of Victorian local government.
Creative Victoria — National Arts Participation Survey⁠ — Victorian participation in the arts and perceived benefits including wellbeing.