Co-creation as if people mattered
A Restless Art describes the history, theory and practice of community art. Published in 2019, the book is free to download, along with case studies and other resources.
A Selfless Art is a companion to that book, a rebalancing, more personal and reflective; it is in its early stages.
Elsewhere on this site you can find the books in the Regular Marvels series, reports, essays, and other writing. There are also documents on the early history of the community arts movement.
My other work includes a European project on opera co-creation, publications on culture and international development and community heritage. My podcast with Arlene Goldbard is here.
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The SIMM Platform exists thanks to the vision and tenacity of Lukas Pairon, a musician, activist and researcher who has worked for many years at the interface of music and…
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In listening to the opening speeches at ICAF 2026, I’m encouraged at a time when courage is more needed than ever. We can help each other and ourselves by working…
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When I am facilitating a co-creation project, how can I ensure that the experience is as rewarding for those present as I hope? That question opens many further questions, which…
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In spring 2023, I began working on a new book, which I called A Selfless Art. For reasons both political and personal I felt that there was more to say…
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Every three years, the International Community Arts Festival comes together for five days in Rotterdam (NL). Making it happen is a magnificent achievement by a very small team who have…
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It’s very common to hear people say that they are passionate about the arts, or that passion drives their work, but the word has always worried me. I understood why…
François Matarasso 