François Matarasso

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  • This is special

    In the dusty hall of a disused prison workshop, 30 people shuffle into a big circle. Silence falls. They draw breath slowly, deep into their lungs, release it, go again, summoning the spirits of concentration, art, hope. They have little in common, except what they have made together. Two thirds are young men, serving terms…

  • What matters

    “And then this: do not depend on the hope of results. […] You may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea you start more and more to…

  • 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 a part in its development, though my ideas have not always been understood as I intended. Indeed, I worry that current approaches to evaluation in the arts are misguided and even damaging. I’m working on…

  • 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 lovely image of the view from East Lawrence, the city in Kansas where he has lived and worked for 30 years. It’s a gentle tribute to one of my favourite works, Saul Steinberg’s ‘View of…

  • 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 the people you are working with. I say that because, in co-creation’s rewarding intensity, boundaries blur easily, especially where empathy allies with common purpose. But a community artist is there for a time and a…

  • Renewing opera

    The problem of opera Opera is a problematic art. It’s not just the extravagant cost of producing it, or the elitist profile of its audiences; the problems are embedded in the form’s own hierarchies, and the stories that have become its canonical repertoire. The human relations they present are becoming less acceptable to society’s understanding…