Engage

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us at our members and alumni event last week in West Yorkshire! In a time when so many across the arts sector are carrying the weight of care, creativity, and uncertainty, it felt very meaningful to connect, share space, and remind one another that none of us are doing this work alone. We were grateful to meet new faces, reconnect with old ones, and hold conversations that felt honest, generous, and supportive at @thearthouseuk . Huge thanks to Jessica at @hepworthwakefield and Meg from @mcrartgallery / Plait Hall for sharing their insightful work; and a special thank you to our 2024 ARMA artist, Tony Wade, who enabled us to be extra creative with wire sculptures. See you at the next one!😄

Have you booked on to our meet up at @ruthincrafts ? On Thursday 21 May, meet us for a chat and a cuppa and the opportunity to hear about the learning programme at Ruthin Craft Centre as well as a creative activity with artist Donna Jones. You can find further details on our website. This project is supported by Arts Council Wales. Image: (c) Dewi Tannatt Lloyd /// Rydym yn edrych ymlaen at ddychwelyd i Ruthin Crafts ar gyfer cyfarfod Engage Cymru ar ddydd Iau 21 Mai 2026. Dewch i gwrdd â ni am sgwrs a phaned a'r cyfle i glywed am y rhaglen addysg yng Nghanolfan Grefftau Rhuthun yn ogystal â gweithgaredd creadigol gyda'r artist Donna Jones. Mae rhagor o wybodaeth ar ein gwefan. Wedi’i gefnogi gan @celfcymruarts

Diolch i @elysiumswansea am gynnal ein cyfarfod Engage Cymru. A diolch i @joshuajonesphotos , Jonathan a Nathan am siarad am eu gwaith. Diolch i bawb am ddod hefyd! Mor braf gweld chi gyd! 🍄 Thanks to @elysiumswansea for hosting the Engage Cymru meet up and to @joshuajonesphotos , Jonathan and Nathan for sharing about their work and practice. Loved the Neuro Expression exhibition and meeting up with everyone. With thanks/gyda diolch @celfcymruarts

Over the next few months we will be spotlighting the work of our @marshawards winners. Our first group awardees are the team at @kettlesyard winning a Marsh Awards for Excellence in Visual Arts Engagement (UK) in 2025, for their work, including last year's 'Paint What Matters!' exhibition. The gallery is part of @cambridgeuniversity , and showcases modern and contemporary exhibitions through a remarkable collection of modern art. The award went to the Community and Learning Team, comprising of 2 x full time members of staff (Karen Thomas and Charlie Bryan), and many project workers supporting when funding allows. Past team members who contributed to ‘Paint What Matters!’ were: 🔵Imogen Alexander, Learning & Engagement Coordinator until January 2026 (job share) 🔵Holly Morrison, Learning & Engagement Coordinator until November 2025 (job share – parental leave cover) 🔵Laetitia Pilgrim, Paint What Matters Project Administrator (Sept 2024 – April 2025) 🔵Helen Creber, Learning & Engagement Coordinator until September 2024 (job share). The Marsh Awards for Excellence in Visual Arts Engagement celebrate the hard work and dedication of colleagues working within visual arts participation and engagement. Find out more about their work by visiting our website.

Last week Veronica from ARMA met Annie Brewer, Creative Producer @lakeland_arts at @abbothall . Veronica was finding out about their Max Literacy Award project. Abbot Hall's project explores the rich relationship between Cumbrian dialect, creative writing, and pupils’ confidence in literacy. Working with writer Katie Hale and Castle Park Primary School, they aim to empower pupils discover their voice through playful, imaginative, and culturally rooted engagement with language. By connecting portraiture, local heritage, and dialect, the project will encourage pupils to ‘wrestle with words’ — experimenting, performing, and producing creative writing that celebrates both their individuality and shared cultural identity.

On Tuesday 12 May, Engage Cymru will be hosting a meet up at @elysiumswansea for colleagues in the visual arts sector to connect, share and explore inclusive participatory practice. What to expect: 🔵Artistic Director Jonathan Powell will talk about neurodivergent projects and programming at Elysium. 🔵A creative activity led by artist and writer @joshuajonesphotos , whose photography is currently on display as part of the Neuro Expression exhibition. 🔵 An opportunity to visit Neuro Expression, a group exhibition featuring artists who identify as neurodivergent and hear from Nathan Thomas who co-organised the exhibition. 🔵 Time throughout the session to chat and connect with other attendees. Further information, including how to book, is available on our website. This project is supported by @celfcymruarts . Image: Rebecca F Hardy. ______________________________________________________ Ar ddydd Mawrth 12 Mai, bydd Engage Cymru yn cynnal cyfarfod yn Elysium i gydweithwyr yn y sector celfyddydau gweledol i gysylltu, rhannu ac archwilio arfer cyfranogol cynhwysol. Beth i’w ddisgwyl : 🔵 Bydd y Cyfarwyddwr Artistig Jonathan Powell yn siarad am brosiectau a rhaglennu Niwroamrywiol yn Elysium. 🔵 Gweithgaredd creadigol gyda’r artist a’r awdur Joshua Jones y mae ei ffotograffau i’w gweld yn rhan o arddangosfa Mynegiant Niwro 🔵 Cyfle i ymweld ag arddangosfa Mynegiant Niwro, arddangosfa gan grŵp o artistiaid sy’n uniaethu’n niwroamrywiol a chlywed gan Nathan Thomas, a gyd-drefnodd yr arddangosfa. 🔵 Amser i sgwrsio a chysylltu â mynychwyr eraill drwy gydol y sesiwn Mae rhagor o wybodaeth ar ein gwefan. Cefnogir y prosiect hwn gan Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru.

Arrived an hour early @thearthouseuk this morning and was lucky enough to spend time in both gallery spaces with the gorgeous sunshine flooding the @royal_sculptors Gilbert Bayes Awards exhibition space. Moved by @andersenemily_photography triptych video installation about celebrated poet Ruth Fainlight presented in the film ‘Somewhere Else’ exhibition which closes on the 30 May. Afterwards it was a fun day filled with creative activities and talks hosted by @engagevisualart part of the Extend Alumni meet up ✨

Nicola Richardson has joined our team as this year's Gathering Programmer. Taking place from 12-14 October in Coventry, Nicola is hard at work with the team planning this year's conference. She is a creative facilitator, consultant and co-founder of Vortex Creates, based in Coventry. She has over 20 years’ experience working across the arts, education and community sectors, with a practice rooted in collaboration, consultation and creative participation. She said: “I’m really excited to be part of this year’s conference. Now more than ever, we need arts participation to help bring people back together — creating space for connection, conversation and a renewed sense of what we can build collectively.”

Over the next few months we will be spotlighting the work of our @marshawards winners. Our next spotlight is Rachel Hutchison, who won one of the Marsh Awards for Excellence in Visual Arts Engagement (UK) in 2025. Rachel is a visual artist and retail manager/ community arts practitioner based in @thecornershopcollective , whose work centres on expanding access to visual arts through community-led participation, artist support, and socially engaged practice. Alongside her independent artistic practice, Rachel works within community development, where she has played a leading role in transforming a local social enterprise retail space into an inclusive creative hub supporting emerging artists, makers, and community participants. Her approach bridges artistic practice and grassroots engagement, creating environments where creativity becomes a tool for connection, confidence-building, and collective wellbeing. Rachel’s work focuses particularly on reducing barriers to participation for individuals who may feel excluded from traditional arts spaces, including working-class communities, early-career artists, volunteers, and those returning to creativity following periods of isolation or ill health. In her role, she actively develops partnerships with schools, community organisations, and local groups to embed visual arts within everyday community life. The Marsh Awards for Excellence in Visual Arts Engagement celebrate the hard work and dedication of colleagues working within visual arts participation and engagement. Find out more about Rachel's work by visiting our website.

Join us at @thearthouseuk in Wakefield on Wednesday 6 May, for our Extend Leadership Programme Alumni Event, combined with a Yorkshire Meet Up. The day will run from 10:30am - 3:00pm, and include presentations from our alumni, and a practitioner workshop. 📍How to get there? The Art House is located just 60 seconds walk from Wakefield Westgate railway station. The free city bus connects us to key locations around the city centre, including Wakefield bus station and The Hepworth Wakefield. The event is open to all alumni of the Extend programme historically, alongside our local reps, members and non-members.

Bob tro yn mwynhau ymweld â @smallworldbydbach efo Engage Cymru, yn enwedig pan mae'r tywydd yn braf! Diolch gymaint i Sam a Helene yn y theatre ac i @maeveclaramakes a Titus Sharpe am rannu eu gwaith a'u profiadau, a @suzonlagarde am either darluniau o'r digwyddiad. 🌱 Always enjoy a trip to @smallworldbydbach with Engage Cymru, especially on such a beautiful day. Thanks to Sam and Helene at the theatre and to @maeveclaramakes and Titus Sharpe for sharing their work and experiences. Massive thanks also to @suzonlagarde for illustrating the event (finished pieces to come!) Diolch/thanks @celfcymruarts

Over the next few months we will be spotlighting the work of our @marshawards winners. Our next spotlight is Seth Pimlott, who won one of the Marsh Awards for Excellence in Visual Arts Engagement (UK) in 2025. Seth has worked in the field of socially engaged practice for over ten years and has been Curator of Social Practice at @chisenhalegallery since 2021. The programme he leads responds to the gallery’s local context in Tower Hamlets, a borough with the highest rate of child poverty in the UK, and focuses on developing original approaches to working with children and young people who face the greatest barriers to accessing art and culture, especially those struggling with their mental health. Prior to joining Chisenhale, Seth produced and developed socially engaged projects with institutions including @somersethouse , @serpentineuk , @whitechapelgallery and @gasworkslondon . The Marsh Awards for Excellence in Visual Arts Engagement celebrate the hard work and dedication of colleagues working within visual arts participation and engagement. Find out more about Seth's work by visiting our website.