It’s been almost 50 years since Jennie Lee published her white paper A Policy for the Arts – The First Steps (1965). It was Britain’s first state arts policy. Some revere it. For others, the white paper ushered in a period of government instrumentalism in the arts, increasing the powerful influence of the Arts Council.…Read more A Policy for the Arts: “excellence” within the reach of everyone? A contribution to #ArtsPolicy50
Month: February 2015
Quality in participatory arts: fit for whose purpose & in need of qualification?
Doctor Faustus in a magic circle, Woodcut, 1648 I have always been perplexed when people talk of “quality”. It’s a strangely powerful word, given that it is essentially neutral. Colloquially, people say things like, “He’s a quality player,” meaning that the person has an excellent footballing attribute (or attributes): goal scoring, tackling, whatever. In science…Read more Quality in participatory arts: fit for whose purpose & in need of qualification?
My life as research: tracing the edges of socially engaged & participatory arts practice
I was asked to present a brief précis of my current research at Northumbria University last week. I thought it might be of interested to some people. So here it is. It’s an edited version of the presentation. The images are a mix of my own, from my case studies and old film stills. It…Read more My life as research: tracing the edges of socially engaged & participatory arts practice
colouring in culture 