Welcome to the first installment of Francois Matarasso’s virtual residency on my blog. Following on my virtual residency with Francois earlier this month, I’m hosting our second residency. Between today and 4 June 2020, Francois is publishing guest posts here, offering a selection of his past writings on art and community that were originally published …
Community-based arts work depends on close, collaborative relationships. Much of it relies on gathering in groups to take part in processes of self-discovery and to exercise the right to culture. It may be a path to personal development or political action. But whatever the intentions, community-based arts work braids pleasure and purpose to generate within …
As a longtime cultural policy wonk, I’ve been perpetually frustrated at the persistence of American exceptionalism, our stubborn insistence on our own unique superiority, our stubborn refusal to look beyond our own borders for inspiring examples and new ways of seeing. This is usually accompanied by some type of smug assertion about the superiority of …