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François Matarasso

Thinking about culture as if people mattered

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        • ‘Men & Girls Dance’, Fevered Sleep
        • Festival de Música de Setúbal
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        • ‘Bed’, Entelechy Arts
      • Projects
        • Toinen Koti (Finnish National Theatre)
        • Dotrščina Virtual Museum (Croatia)
        • Banlieues Bleues (France)
        • Mahatat for contemporary art (Egypt)
        • The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company (UK)
        • Geração SOMA, Vo’Arte (Portugal)
        • A Bao A Qu (Spain)
        • Valleys Kids (Wales)
        • El Colegio del Cuerpo (Colombia)
        • ‘I am the Museum’ (Bosnia Herzegovina)
        • Restoke (UK)
        • Multistory (UK)
        • The Cabbage Field Opera (Lithuania)
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    • Regular Marvels (2010-2015)
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    • Living Heritage (1998-2005)

Category: First Generation

Access ≠ Democracy

When I began in community art, the photocopier was new technology. In the printshop where I was an apprentice, we … More

Community art, Creative reflection, Cultural democracy, Democracy, learning, Skills

Can you teach community art?

TL;DR? No. In the 1980s, when the first generation of community artists had been around for long enough to feel … More

Community art, learning

Innocence and experience: John Fox’s songs

Regular readers (thank you for your interest) will know my admiration and affection for John Fox, Sue Gill and the … More

Community music, Music, Welfare State International

Some thoughts on podcasting

In January, I began an experiment in podcasting, following an invitation from Owen Kelly and Sophie Hope, who host an … More

A Culture of Possibility, Arlene Goldbard, Community art, Podcast

Safari park lions

BBC Radio has just broadcast a programme entitled ‘Everyone is an Artist’. It’s part of Archive on 4, a series … More

Community art, James Fox, Participatory art, Radio, Tate, Turner Prize

Other People’s Books: some recommendations

Over past year or two, I’ve had a series of conversations with people about books they’ve been working on. Some … More

Community art, Cultural democracy

Still thinking about co-creation

In March, I posted a question on Twitter about co-creation.  What do artists mean by ‘co-creation’? I’m writing about the … More

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.

Welfare State International

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, … More

Murals

The Roots of War: Continuing a conversation with Arlene Goldbard

A couple of weeks ago, I published a text on the ethics of participatory art by Arlene Goldbard on A … More

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Most viewed posts

  • The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – Part 2
  • The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – Part 3
  • Co-creation
  • Connections and differences between participatory art and community art
  • Research on participatory opera and music theatre
  • A (very short) history of the British community arts movement
  • Clinging on in a tsunami: the arts and mental health
  • Speaking of community art
  • Sharing control in participatory art
  • Cultural heritage and participation
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