François Matarasso

Blog

arestlessart.com/

Profile

arestlessart.com/author/regula

Homepage

regularmarvels.wordpress.com

  • Speak your truth

    It’s unusual nowadays to hear anyone in the arts speak against cultural participation. The directors of museums, galleries, orchestras and theatres – and of sector bodies such as Arts Council England – profess themselves almost universally to be advocates of cultural inclusion and co-creation. Their websites and annual reports shine with happy people being creative. There are…

  • Talking about culture, philanthropy and democracy – Part 2

    Following yesterday’s post, here is Sajida Carr‘s presentation to ADESTE+. Following on from Francois talk there have aeons of activities that have attempted to become relevant and have people at the heart of cultural activities that question the willingness to share real power and change. I’d like to share two contrasting experiences around the democratisation…

  • Talking about culture, philanthropy and democracy (ADESTE+)

    ADESTE+ is a European project dedicated to increasing cultural participation, supported by the EU’s Creative Europe funding. With 15 partners from the UK, Italy, Spain, Poland, Croatia, Portugal and Denmark, they hope to ‘encourage audience-centric cultural organizations across Europe’ through sharing knowledge and good practice. This year, their annual conference is online, in a series of weekly sessions…

  • Talking with Northern Heartlands

    In February, I spent a couple of days in County Durham, meeting artists and local people involved in the Northern Heartlands Great Places Scheme. They’d asked me to speak at an event marking the completion of three years’ work and the project’s transition into a new form. I went to learn about what people have…

  • Which murals are worth saving?

    Murals were a cornerstone of the early community art movement. Between the 1960s and 1990s, hundreds were painted, mostly outdoors, and some – like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in Battersea, the Easterhouse Mosaic in Glasgow, or The Battle of Cable Street in Shadwell – became well-known as symbols of political ideas and…

  • Community opera in a pandemic

    In February, I participated in the kick-off meeting of TRACTION, a Horizon 2020 project researching how digital technology can support community opera as a factor in social inclusion. About 30 of us travelled to San Sebastián from Dublin, Barcelona, Leiria, Amsterdam and Nottingham. It was the first, and so far, the only time we have…