How the internet saved a community opera
It began with open workshops in community halls across County Durham, from ancient places sheltered in mountain valleys to younger
Category: A Restless Art
Posts that relate to the project itself
Holding onto community
Suddenly it’s October, and Fun Palaces weekend is here. Since its invention in 2014, the Fun Palaces idea has burst
Participation, cultural rights and the 2020 Rome Charter
Yesterday was the opening day of an international conference, focusing on the 2020 Rome Charter that was published in the summer. Along
What we have lost, and what we hold to still
I am looking up at the third floor window of number 36 – smaller than the windows below. We know there is a window seat inside. It’s where the midwife sat, almost 18 years ago, as our daughter Hannah gave birth to Rosa May, her second child, at 6am on a clear spring morning.
Jakson and Fabio — Regular Marvels
Almost exactly five years ago. I filed into the Leiria youth prison, along with about 250 other outsiders—officials, funders and,
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
Talking with Northern Heartlands
In February, I spent a couple of days in County Durham, meeting artists and local people involved in the Northern
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,
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
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
