There is always an alternative. Always.
On Tuesday, I facilitated a talk for the Scottish Culture Collective by my friend Heba El Cheikh. She spoke about her work as a
Building Capabilities: Rethinking the social value of culture
Today will see the third performance of O Tempo (Somos Nós) , “Time (It’s Us), this time at the Gulbenkian Concert
‘From little things, big things grow’
Between the Traction opera performances in the prison last week, and those that will take place in Lisbon at the
The meaning of risk in community art
Three days ago, anticipating the first performance of the Leiria prison opera, I wrote that I didn’t expect to see
This is special
In the dusty hall of a disused prison workshop, 30 people shuffle into a big circle. Silence falls. They draw
What matters
“And then this: do not depend on the hope of results. […] You may have to face the fact that
This is not a level playing field
Evaluation has become a dominant preoccupation in participatory art in the past generation. It’s a fascinating field, and I’ve played
The View from East Lawrence
Dave Loewenstein, community murals and living democracy Browsing the artwork in Dave Loewenstein’s online shop, I was delighted by this
Friendship and the community artist
When I talk about community art practice with younger or less experienced artists, I often warn against offering friendship to
Renewing opera
The problem of opera Opera is a problematic art. It’s not just the extravagant cost of producing it, or the
Working at another scale in community opera
It is a surprise, in my sixties, to find myself working on opera, as part of the Traction project. This prestigious art
A Restless Art 