Standing Up, Together, & Speaking Louder

The growing groundswell of like-minded individuals and organisations campaigning for politicians to value the arts

I was just settling into my first home when Tony Blair came to power. I felt that upsurge of energy and optimism that many in the country felt. I was 29, and the new government resonated with my new life in a new town, setting down roots and beginning to build my first arts organisation, Cambridge Sculpture Workshops.

Cambridge Sculpture Workshops was formed by myself and friend Sheila. We had studied at the Royal College of Art together, and both our partners came to Cambridge for work. We needed work too, and so we created the organisation which enabled us to work as artist educators in schools, museums, galleries and community settings. We passionately believed that the arts were not valued in schools in the way they had been when we were younger, and we wanted to create opportunities for all children to experience what we had experienced growing up - time and space to value exploratory arts experiences.

Some of my earliest memories are of the “making boxes” my mum would put together for me - boxes, cartons, oddments of fabric, shells - whatever she thought I’d enjoy playing with. She’d sit me on a high stool at the kitchen