François Matarasso

Come to Rotterdam

This might be my simplest blog post yet. All I want to do is encourage you to come to Rotterdam at the end of next month and be part of a huge, friendly, inspirational community art festival. ICAF runs from 25 to 29 March 2020, and if you miss it, you’ll wait three years for…

On the value of ‘good enough’

Listening to a radio discussion about failure in the arts, I asked myself why I’ve always had reservations about the idea – or rather about how it’s talked about in this industry. One problem was evident in this conversation, despite Tom Shakespeare‘s careful moderation. Michael Billington spoke about failure in art (for instance when a…

The continuing validity of community development

For all their differences, for all the good they do achieve, these schemes have two things in common: they’re supposed to solve problems that arise – directly or not – from past policy decisions, and they are all time limited.

Do not yet fold your wings

In many ways, art is a young person’s game. It’s central to how children process and share their discovery of life. In adolescence young people use art to explore the world and express identity. Sometimes that unleashes world-changing energy. None of the Beatles was older than 30 when the band separated in 1970. Their subsequent…

Fruitless arguments from entrenched positions

On Monday, Arts Council England published its new strategy for the coming decade. Judging by the consultation document and the media coverage so far, it’s an important (and welcome) attempt at change. But I haven’t read it yet, because I’ve other things to do right now and – well, it’s going to be around for…

Trusting the process

We thought we were making a play, when we started this process a couple of years ago. Instead, we’ll present a film this afternoon, at The Lawnmowers Arts Centre in Gateshead. A Dead Good Life is a 30 minute drama about growing older with learning difficulties. It was devised and performed by five artists with…