François Matarasso

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  • Art for social change – or social justice?

    In 1990s Britain the term community art began to be replaced by participatory arts, which many people hoped didn’t carry ‘the baggage of the past’. On one level that was just part of the generational renewal through which artists try to escape the weight of their history, but it also had specific theoretical, political and artistic reasons and…

  • Clinging on in a tsunami: the arts and mental health

    Since the beginning of 2020, the Baring Foundation has focused its arts support on the needs of people with metal health problems, after a decade of prioritising arts and older people. People in both groups – which of course are not mutually exclusive – have been deeply affected by the public health measures taken to combat the…

  • Remote residencies: a paid opportunity for community artists in England

    In the last post on this site, I wrote about the challenges that Covid-19 presents to anyone who makes community art, but I said then, because I know many of them, ‘I have complete confidence that solutions will be found, and that they will enrich the spectrum of our work‘. And now, as if by…

  • An open letter about community art

    Community art has proved its value over 50 years (and more) so its recognition in Arts Council England’s new strategy was both a vindication of the work and long overdue. Let’s Create was published just before the Covid-19 pandemic changed everything. Although it is far from over, it has already had devastating effects on people’s…

  • Making community art in a time of coronavirus

    Arlene Goldbard and I hosted our second online conversation last Thursday evening. It felt very different to me, as our roles were reversed, and this time it was she who was asking me questions. These conversations, initiated just because we can, have proved to be enjoyable and rewarding. Although having done one each, we’ve reached…

  • A satisfactory philosophy of ignorance

    If you know that you are not sure, you have a chance to improve the situation. Richard P. Feynman, The Meaning of It All, London 1998 When Arlene Goldbard and I planned a second online conversation – which you can see online here – our focus was on how community art could be made in the…