How participation won, and why it matters
When I argued – as I still do – that people benefit from participating in art, it is because of its potential for learning, emancipation and empowerment. Experience changes us. Powerful experiences, such as those that come from creating art with other people, can change us deeply. But that change is something we do for ourselves: it is not done to us
The ideas vary in style, duration and resources, from a short workshop to projects lasting several months There’s are lots of nourishing stuff, some you might want to adapt and replicate, some that could just spark new ideas in your own work
In the past ten days, I have visited two exceptional community art projects: ACERT in Tondela (Portugal) and Cork Community
It’s messy, difficult, compromised—but at its best community art can be joyously emancipatory. It shows us that we will only find pathways to a better place if we work together. We need each other. And we need to keep asking questions we can’t answer.
For several weeks, I’ve been facilitating creative writing workshops in Leicester. The project, commissioned by Writing East Midlands with the
Now that I don’t have to write, I’m rediscovering the pleasure of reading, especially around the subject that has occupied
Too long; didn’t read? Fair enough: so here’s a quick summary of the ground covered in the book: 80.000 words reduced to about 1,350
Valleys Kids shows how close community art and community development can be, especially when work is rooted and sustained. The
Sometimes you miss the obvious thing, even when you’ve been looking at it for years. Yesterday, as I walked along
The idea that everyone can be an artist has always underpinned my work. It seems straightforward to me, but some
