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François Matarasso

Thinking about culture as if people mattered

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Category: Art in criminal justice

There is another way

A guest post by Richard Willacy, General Director, Birmingham Opera Company I’m arriving at a foyer buzzing with excitement; youth, … More

Community art, Cultural democracy, opera, Traction

A Culture of Possibility Podcast #25 – Jasmina Ibrahimovic 

NOTE: This post is to introduce you to the 25th episode of François Matarasso’s and my monthly podcast, “A Culture … More

‘Write this down’

It was the end of a long day. We’d run out of time and the guards needed to get us … More

Art in Prisons, Community art, opera, Traction

This is special

In the dusty hall of a disused prison workshop, 30 people shuffle into a big circle. Silence falls. They draw … More

Art work with people, Community art, opera, Participatory art, Traction

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

Learning the right lessons

Ten days ago, at home in France, I watched a live stream of a performance happening in Portugal. Nós. Vocês. Toda … More

Community art

From Regular Marvels: ‘What we talk about when we talk about love’

‘You know, while doing this, going through this journey, it has changed me. And, yes, I had a spiritual inkling, … More

None of this is easy

A couple of days ago, I gave a lecture about art in criminal justice contexts. It’s not a field in … More

Art in Prisons, Macbeth, Northern Ireland, Prison education, Shakespeare

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
  • Speaking of community art
  • A (very short) history of the British community arts movement
  • Clinging on in a tsunami: the arts and mental health
  • Remembering Craigmillar Festival Society
  • Sharing control in participatory art
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