Cultural democracy in practice – Units of Power

Units of Power Units of Power was a 2016 project led by artist Jack Brown in partnership with Children and the Arts and Saatchi Gallery. It took place in 3 schools in Tottenham, London – Northumberland Park Community School, St Paul’s and All Hallows Primary School and Risley Avenue Primary School. The visible outcome of…

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Cultural democracy in practice – Feast

Feast Feast is an innovative model for development that has been running for 10 years across Cornwall, encouraging artists and communities to make work, festivals and events, rooted at the heart of local areas. In 2017/18 alone their work enabled 1,651 artists and 1,944 volunteers to make cultural activities that were experienced by 12,928 active…

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Cultural Democracy in Practice- The Agency

The Agency – BAC, Contact Manchester and People’s Palace Projects The Agency is a three-way collaboration between Contact Manchester, Battersea Arts Centre and People’s Palace Projects. It draws upon strong community connections to work with vulnerable young people who will benefit from joining the creative processes of Contact, BAC, and now other participating partners across…

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Cultural Democracy in Practice – The Shop Front Theatre

The Shop Front Theatre The Shop Front Theatre, managed by Theatre Absolute, is exactly what it says on the tin, a theatre in a shopfront in quite a dilapidated shopping centre in the centre of Coventry. It’s not flashy, it has a few lights and is a bit ‘dodgy and dirty’ as Co-Founder Chris O’Connell…

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Cultural Democracy in Practice – Scottee and Friends

Scottee and Friends We met Scottee and Asad in the rehearsal room for their new show Fat Blokes, which had just premiered at Southend and was going on to run in Peterborough, Manchester, London and across the UK in the Autumn. Scottee, an artist and activist, predominantly makes work in collaboration and for this show…

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Cultural Democracy in Practice – Northern Heartlands

Northern Heartlands Northern Heartlands is one of the Great Place schemes, jointly funded by ACE and HLF with the ambition to empower communities through culture, heritage and the arts. One of the only schemes not to be embedded within a local authority, the bid itself left space for the strategy and direction of the process…

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Cultural Democracy in Practice – National Theatre Wales Team

National Theatre Wales – TEAM Since the inception of National Theatre Wales in 2010, TEAM has been an integral part of what it does. Designed to be a different kind of national theatre that had a relationship with the communities it serves, TEAM is a national network of now over 2000 people who help to…

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Cultural Democracy in Practice – Fun Palaces

Fun Palaces Beginning in 2013, The Fun Palaces movement campaigns for cultural democracy year round, with a weekend of action every year in early October. In this weekend, communities all across the UK (and internationally) run events under the principle ‘community at the heart of culture’ where people participate equally, for free, in any kind…

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Cultural Democracy in Practice – Derby Museums

Derby Museums “When applying a co-production approach the results are so much richer”. Head of Co-production Display Andrea Hadley-Johnson describes the vision of Derby Museum: where cultural democracy is the norm, the innate way to work. A shift to cultural democracy was underway when Tony Butler became director in 2014, and this approach was embedded…

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Cultural Democracy in Practice – Contact Theatre

Contact Theatre, Manchester For twenty years, Contact Manchester has given agency, responsibility and skills to young people, using performance and theatre as a force for social change and artistic empowerment. The direction and key management decisions (including all staff appointments) of Contact are shared 50/50 between adult and young people’s leadership panels. For every major…

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