François Matarasso

Today, the first of A Culture of Possibility podcast series is available in the usual places. As I explained earlier, this is a journey I’m starting with Arlene Goldbard, during which we’ll share ideas and experiences about art, community, social action and similar issues. If that sounds vague, it’s partly because we’re not sure where this will take us, but also because we come from different traditions.  Arlene is American and I’m European and our different perspectives interest us because they also illuminate our friendship and the values we hold in common.

Last year, we held several online conversations, in public and private, but with no further ambition than to share our thinking during this strange period. The suggestion of doing a podcast came from Owen Kelly and Sophie Hope, who’ve been doing an excellent series about cultural democracy for several years. Owen generously offered to handle the necessary technical work that would put me off doing this alone. So A Culture of Possibility is also hosted on Owen and Sophie’s site, ‘Meanwhile In An Abandoned Warehouse’, where you’ll find links and materials about each episode. They’ll be published at midday on the third Friday of the month. We’re starting with three, after which we’ll review what we’re doing. 

Arlene is an experienced teacher and an accomplished broadcaster, so it’s a delight to work with her on this. Still, I’m not sure yet if I have something worthwhile to contribute in this format. I really like podcasts, the subtleties of their form and their potential in cultural democracy. But there are lots of things I enjoy and value for which I have no talent. On the other hand, I’m glad to try something new, not afraid of failing at it. It’s the same with community art: I can never promise the people I work with that we’ll reach our destination, only that we won’t regret making the journey.