How do we sustain community work in times marked by division and uncertainty? Join us for *Tough Times: A Gathering* on Friday 20 March, 10:30am–4pm at Bridge 5 Mill, Manchester. What could taking the next step together make possible?

How might the ArtWorks Alliance In-Person Gathering on 16 January at Birmingham Museums help us reconnect through creative practice and strengthen our shared purpose in these tough times?

How do small, focussed-arts activities change how people relate to a place and to one another, and what gets lost when cultural value is judged only by scale, numbers, or economic return?

How might the ArtWorks Alliance In-Person Gathering on 16 January at Birmingham Museums help us reconnect through creative practice and strengthen our shared purpose in these tough times?

[PODCAST 46] Do the arts, culture and music have a framing problem? In this short (17 minute) episode of my 'Music for Education & Wellbeing' podcast I’m talking with … myself! I thought I’d do something different to mark the launch of my new website. Listen using your favourite podcast app.

How do we ensure public arts funding supports not only institutions that attract private investment, but also grassroots, freelance-led creativity? The “Crowding In” model needs grounding in local, social, and regenerative cultural economies. Who’s funding the foundation?

✨📣 Artist Wanted | Yn Eisiau Artist!📣 ✨ 🐲 Rhiwhiriaeth Community Mural | Murlun Cymunedol Rhiwhiriaeth We are looking for an artist to work with children and young people from the local area to create a mural during the summer holidays. 📢 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 & 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 👉 artsconnection.org.uk/jobs/

Loads to do on Friday! Chemistry in the morning ⚗️, Disco Opera in the evening! 🪩 What could possibly go wrong! info here - mailchi.mp/soundartradi...

Being exposed to inspiring people, ideas and practices outside of the usual areas I work in. #startsomethinggood

🚨🌱 The Chancellor is reviewing all public spending from scratch. Please join me in signing the @campaignforthearts.org petition to remind the UK Govt: the arts make our lives happier & our communities stronger. Now is the moment to invest in them. www.campaignforthearts.org/petitions/sp...

ArtWorks Alliance is an independent voice for participatory and community arts, built on the support of our members. Sign-up to our newsletter for updates artworksalliance.uk/newsletter-s...

We are a growing community of practice, come and share your insights and experiences...

🚨 What if the BBC *actually* belonged to the British public? Our new proposal says it can — and should. We can convert the BBC into something called a public service mutual — owned & governed by you. 🧵Here’s how. 🖊️ Dan Hind, Tom Mills and Tom Chivers www.common-wealth.org/publications...

🚨🌱 The Chancellor is reviewing all public spending from scratch. Please join me in signing the @campaignforthearts.org petition to remind the UK Govt: the arts make our lives happier & our communities stronger. Now is the moment to invest in them. www.campaignforthearts.org/petitions/sp...

When all that is solid melts into air, what remains? Can a DJ set in a gallery become a ritual for reflecting on the fragility of meaning itself? Are we ready to listen when ideas dissolve as quickly as they appear? radiolear.uk/distraction-...

Can Shakespeare’s “seven ages” be reimagined as a spiral rather than a straight line? What if growth isn’t about stages passed, but meanings returned to and reinterpreted? Are we ready to hear life’s roles not as fate, but as fluid invitations? radiolear.uk/distraction-...

Are we reaching 'make-or-break' for community and participatory arts in the UK?

New show debuting at 2pm. soundartradio.org/listen Tadpoles... soundartradio.org.uk/programmes/t...

Survey from on online criticism @thespacearts.bsky.social www.surveymonkey.com/r/MCGMail

Share this post for a chance to win TWO FREE WEEKEND TICKETS! 🎟️🎟️ 👍 LIKE POST 😻 SHARE POST 🎯 TAG 4 FRIENDS All those who follow these steps will be entered into the draw! Winner announced – 9th May! 🔥 artsconnection.org.uk/workhousepar... #Music #Festival #Llanfyllin #Powys

✨📣 Artist Wanted | Yn Eisiau Artist!📣 ✨ 🐲 Creating Well | Creu Lles - Welshpool | Y Trallwng We are looking for an artist to deliver arts workshops for renal patients undergoing dialysis 👉 artsconnection.org.uk/jobs/ #ArtistOpportunities

Good Morning #DawnChorusDay #Reveil2025 Round the world with the break of dawn from multiple streamers and the devoted organisational skills of the soundtent.org crew. Tune in locally, 102.5 FM or online soundartradio.org/listen

Event today #Kingston today to launch #Kingston2025 #AthelstanAmongUs inc. great street performance 2.30 featuring #TraceworksDance my collaborator! @athelstanmuseum.bsky.social #Heritage #Dance #Families

We need your support - we are entirely funded by our members, which ensures our independent voice. Every contribution makes a difference artworksalliance.uk/joinonline/

At the heart of Creative Lives' work is the belief that everyone can have fun being creative. So hats off to Zest Tone Deaf Choir in Bristol, who welcome "people who think they can’t sing but want to do it anyway!" Read all about them in this BBC interview: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

New event: Evaluation for Arts, Culture and Heritage: Principles and Practice from Centre for Cultural Value. A free-to-access online course to help you understand the principles and master the practice of carrying out evaluation.

There is much work still to do: @orianbrook.bsky.social, @markrt.bsky.social & @drdaveobrien.bsky.social's new version of ‘Culture Is Bad For You’ lays bare persistent inequalities in the arts, particularly through social class but also at its intersection with gender and ethnicity

Walking and talking meetings are great. A joy to walk part of a national trail (Thames Path Richmond to Kew Bridge) this morning & catch with Polly @nationaltrailsuk.bsky.social

Great opportunity for social clubs in England, Scotland and Wales!

Does your organisation work in heritage? Want to know more about how to engage communities & work in partnership? Join Heritage Toolbox for orgs in West Yorkshire to access free workshops on this & other key topics: heritagetrustnetwork.org.uk/heritage-too... @westyorkshireca.bsky.social

As a Community of Practice, many of the activities are carried out by groups of members who come together to work on specific issues in participatory arts that cannot be tackled by any of us working on our own.

Join us as we launch our brand new digital gallery, dis_place and its pilot exhibition Towards New Worlds Digital. 📆 21 May 📍 Online 💷 Free Find out more ↓ disabilityarts.online/events/towar...

How can we talk about the social value of our work and the real-world change it creates? Join our session on March 21st with Social Value Engine to find out more about the Social Return on Investment. Free online session. 21st May. 2-3pm. https://socialreturnoninvestmentmay25.eventbrite.co.uk]

🥽 Sheffield DocFest’s Alternate Realities XR Artists Forum is open for applications. This is a great opportunity if you’re working at the intersection of art, technology, and non-fiction storytelling—think VR, AR, AI, immersive sound, interactive docs, or experimental video.

Join us at Dinton Pastures this May and get your dose of endorphins from this gloriously biodiverse 350 acre park, with lakes, woodland & meadow in the heart of the most urbanised part of the Thames Valley 💚 Wokingham Borough's Forest of Imagination May 22-25 ✨

🎵 Get ready to rock with The Raging Mabels at our upcoming Workhouse Party during the June solstice weekend! 🌞🎉 Save the date and join us for a fun weekend! 🎶💃 #TheRagingMabels #WorkhouseParty #JuneSolstice #LiveMusic #Festival #Llanfyllin

Funders: please do better, not just for neurodivergent people but for everyone! ♻️ I hope this will be shared, & noticed by funders. Each week I hear & feel, the pain of people who are a) at best, put off b) at worst, completely excluded, from your funding processes We all have to do better.

Next Thu, May 8th, from 6pm, we're joined by visiting artist Hessel Veldman, a key figure in the Netherland's Avant Garde music scene since the punk era. Bring instruments to play and texts to read, or come along as spectators. Improvisation, live on air from 8pm.

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How can artists and communities work together without forcing outcomes or fitting into predefined labels? In our latest podcast, Anna Taylor from In-Situ Arts shares reflections on place, emergence, and holding space.

How can artists and communities work together without forcing outcomes or fitting into predefined labels? In our latest podcast, Anna Taylor from In-Situ Arts shares reflections on place, emergence, and holding space.

Join our growing community of practice artworksalliance.uk

📣 Applications are now open for Round 23 of Developing Your Creative Practice! 🌟 Ready to take your practice to the next stage? Start your application 🔗https://buff.ly/hVVi126 🗓️ Deadline for applications 12pm on 22 May 2025! #LetsCreate 📸Howaboutdave Photography

What would it take for participatory arts to be seen as central to the UK’s visual arts ecosystem, not a side note? Read our blog reflecting on the Framing the Future report and its implications for community-rooted practice #FramingTheFuture #CommunityArts

What’s the biggest impact that creative practice—like music or podcasting—can have on young people? Aaron Todd of Leicestershire Cares joined John Coster on #SpotlightOnArts to explore how giving them a voice leads to real change. What’s your take?

How do we create spaces where people feel free to explore their creativity without fear of judgment? This week on Spotlight on Arts, Sim Mistry shares insights on fostering creative confidence in communities #CreativeExpression #CommunityArts

What helps creative people find their place—structured guidance or the freedom to explore and make mistakes? Andy Gundelach reflects on learning, leadership and local filmmaking in this week’s Spotlight on Arts. Listen on Soar Sound.

What does it mean for heritage when Gen Z turns to vinyl, streetwear and zines to express identity? In our latest Spotlight on Heritage, Thomas Kraus-Weiss reflects on creativity, culture and life in Leicester through his magazine Chi$$it. Listen on Soar Sound.

What happens when we stop sidelining our creativity and start making space for it in everyday life? This week on Spotlight on Arts, Tim Greyson reflects on poetry, board games, and shifting priorities. Listen and share your thoughts.

Our members come from all parts of the country, all types of organisations, freelancers and researchers. Join our growing community of practice. artworksalliance.uk/about-us/all...