When I began in community art, the photocopier was new technology. In the printshop where I was an apprentice, we … More
Category: Where do you stand?
Friendship and the community artist
When I talk about community art practice with younger or less experienced artists, I often warn against offering friendship to … More
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
What do you expect?
Many professional artists believe that working with non-professionals leads to an unavoidable decline in quality. That conviction is so integral … More
The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – Part 3
In the previous post, I outlined a range of resources that professional artists can draw on in their work, including … More
The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – Part 2
What does ‘professional’ mean? Like many words, professional has changed its meaning over the course of history, adapting itself to society’s evolving … More
Speak your truth
It’s unusual nowadays to hear anyone in the arts speak against cultural participation. The directors of museums, galleries, orchestras and theatres – … More
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 … More
Witnessing as resistance
Community art performance by Olho.Te, (Madeira) In A Restless Art I describe participatory art – the vast field that has spread from … More
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
François Matarasso 