François Matarasso

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  • Another Standard: How to judge community art

    How do you judge a work of art? Even asking the question implies a series of judgements and beliefs. The best answer might be why do you need to judge it? Art asks only that you experience it. Perhaps art’s most interesting questions are about us, not itself: how do we respond to a work of art,…

  • The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – A Postscript

    The other big difference for WBOS is that they are enacting a production created by others – by professionals. They do not have to invent how to stage a scene, or how to make the show come together. They know it works, because others have done it before. Amateurs are not usually looking for originality…

  • The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – Part 3

    In the previous post, I outlined a range of resources that professional artists can draw on in their work, including education, skill and expertise, knowledge, experience, context, informed judgement and talent. It is a formidable, but not exhaustive list. There will be some things I’ve not thought of, as well as other resources like social…

  • The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – Part 2

    What does ‘professional’ mean? Like many words, professional has changed its meaning over the course of history, adapting itself to society’s evolving concerns. Its origins were quite high-minded. To profess is to make a public declaration of adherence to an ideal or a standard. Such a solemn ‘profession’ was – still is – made by people entering…

  • The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – Part 1

    This photograph of the artists working on Irish National Opera’s Out of the Ordinary project was taken on 20 August 2021, at The Complex in Dublin. It was the first opportunity for the group to work together face-to-face since the project began last year, as part of Traction. As you can see, it is not possible to…

  • Better together

    Last night I sat in a Dublin B&B for watching a performance unfold in Leeds Playhouse through a laptop screen. It was a beautiful, moving and strangely gripping experience. I couldn’t take my eyes from the stage, though I’m easily distracted when I watch things online.  With ‘The Promise of a Garden’, I did not move for two…