Finding Voices Making Choices

We are all bombarded with images and ideas created by other people. The Community Arts movement developed as a response to the closed doors of elitist art and the increasing saturation by, and commercialisation of, popular culture. Community Arts offers people a voice in the development of culture.

This book sets out to re-state the values that underpin the movement and to explain some of its key themes such as access, participation and ownership. It explores Community Arts work in a number of contexts; from Youth Arts to housing estates, and a number of art forms; from community pantomimes to interactive computers.

This book is for cultural heretics everywhere and will be of interest to anyone who thinks that art is for everybody and that it really can apply to everyday life.

Mark Webster is Senior Lecturer at the University of Stafford. He has worked in Community Arts for over 15 years both in the voluntary and statutory sectors.