Instrumentalisation: a convenient mask
For as long as I can remember, the accusation of instrumentalising art has been flung at community artists, as a
Category: Ethics
Who are you writing for?
Reading yet another account of a community outreach project undertaken by an arts organisation, I could feel my heart sinking
‘Here we found a space to think’
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
Questions I can’t answer
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.
Respecting other people’s reasons for (not) participating
Making a book is enjoyable but demanding too, especially as the deadline for sending digital files to the printer approaches.
More questions than answers: stories, art and ownership
On Tuesday, I spoke about participatory art at a conference in Valletta. The questions people raised afterwards were mostly the
‘Ja sam Muzej’ (Bosnia Herzegovina)
“I am the Museum” is a civil society and media action aimed to mobilize a massive citizens engagement to save
Restless Research: Confessions of a Confused Community Art Scholar
If you’ve read some of the material published on this site, I hope you’ll understand why I describe participatory
On volunteering: who gets paid (cont.)
A few days ago, I wrote a post about who does, could or should get paid for their time in
Who gets paid – and why?
Like a lot of freelance artists, what I get paid ranges from a lot to nothing, according to the commissioner’s
