Arts Communities Drive Manchester Forward
This is Manchester. Photo: Peter McDermott.
“We do things differently.” That’s the motto of Manchester, England—and if you’re walking through the city, it doesn’t take long to see that it prides itself on its innovation and creativity. I’ve been fortunate to spend my 20s here, learning from the legacies of changemakers both past and present. So many of the city’s most impactful figures have been—and still are—artists working directly with communities.
Inspired by the people, creatives, and communities around me, I spent the second half of my 13 years in Manchester founding The Untold Orchestra, a “non-classical” collaborative orchestra that centers community engagement. But this piece isn’t about Untold. It’s about an Art City—that is, a place where arts interventions are prioritized and supported by the people who live there, and then rewarded with community, creativity, and positive social change.
The city’s many grassroots organizations have taught me so many useful principles, attitudes, and practices. In taking a birds-eye view, I hope to share some of the lessons I’ve learned from those who helped form Manchester’s bedrock of art communities.
Lesson One: If you see a gap, fill it.
One thing I learned quickly here is that “someone should do something about that” often becomes “fine, I’ll do it myself.” That spirit is beautifully embodied in the work of an organization called Reform Radio, whose founders recognized that young people were struggling to access the city’s growing creative industries, and, instead of publishing a report about it, turned a basement into a radio station.
Today, the organization supports hundreds of young Mancunians through a variety of digital and creative skill-development programs. What stands out most about these programs isn’t the scale but their culture. The facilitators are often graduates of the programs themselves, creating a feedback loop of empowerment that feels genuinely alive. Reform Radio isn’t shiny or slick. It’s warm, scrappy, human, and a reminder that sometimes innovation begins with nothing more than a spare room, a borrowed mic, and a small group of people who believe young people deserve better.
Lesson Two: Joy is a form of resistance.
Change through art has always depended on communities mixing, influencing, and uplifting one another. Darren Pritchard, founder of Ghetto Fabulous, lives that truth through countless dance/performance projects that become lifelines for QTIPOC artists across the U.K. His approach is simple: joy and excellence are political tools. Shows feature queer global artists with an unapologetic flair, deliberately building spaces where collaboration across cultures and art forms is expected. Most recently, Darren curated House of MCR—a catwalk extravaganza featuring dance, fashion, music, burlesque, and lip syncing, involving over 100 QTIPOC artists and their families in a “joyous celebration of Manchester’s legacy of love.” The Ghetto Fabulous team builds ecosystems where people can fully be themselves and make beautiful, joyful work—the foundation of social change.
Lesson 3: Space matters.
So many conversations about “community arts” focus on programming, but the NIAMOS Arts Centre, Hulme, reminds us that the most transformative work often starts with a building, a key, and permission for people to take up space. Originally built as the Hulme Playhouse, in 1991 it became the NIA Centre—one of Europe’s first Black-led arts centers, run by local community members who are still involved today. After several years of abandonment, in 2017 it was re-opened by 26 local residents as “NIAMOS.” It has since housed gigs, vintage bazaars, community celebrations, circuses, choirs, breakdancers, pay-what-you-feel cafes, and much more. The magic of NIAMOS is that their building really belongs to the community—an invaluable feeling for community members. In an era when gentrification quietly evicts the very people culture depends on, NIAMOS shows that spaces can be radical simply by remaining accessible, welcoming, and shaped by the people who use them.
Lesson 4: Patience and process are crucial.
If Reform and Ghetto Fabulous show how bold action sparks change, Olympias Music Foundation shows what happens when that action is paired with long-term consistency. Founded by Dr. Jo Yee Cheung after she recognized a lack of free instrumental tuition in Manchester’s underserved neighborhoods, Olympias has spent a decade building an infrastructure of teachers, instruments, and community relationships.
Their work is slow, deliberate, and deeply relational, quietly removing barriers that generations of young people have faced in classical music. A recent example has been their Recycled Orchestra project, in which they worked with luthiers across the U.K. to repair 100 second-hand instruments for use by the young people they serve. Social change isn’t always spectacular; in fact, the work that lasts rarely is.
Finally, Lesson 5: Communities thrive when organizations complement, not compete.
No single organization is meant to do everything. Reform creates pathways into creative work; Ghetto Fabulous nurtures identity, expression and representation; NIAMOS offers physical space and belonging; Olympias expands access to high-quality music education. Each plays a different role, but together they form a cultural ecosystem far bigger than the sum of its parts. What connects them is a shared belief that creativity is a community resource, not a commodity. That belief, played out across neighborhoods and communities, has shaped me more than any formal training. Yes, Manchester does things differently, but mostly it does things together.
Contenido relacionado
Colaboración, Creación de comunidades, Europa, Eventos/actuaciones, Destacado, Voz y liderazgo de los estudiantes, Enseñanza y aprendizaje
Los acordes internacionales de la armonía resuenan en Barcelona
longy-admin
Colaboraciones, Creación de comunidades, Europa, Destacado, Kosovo, Voz y liderazgo estudiantiles
Veinticinco años de Música para la Construcción de la Paz: Músicos sin fronteras
longy-admin
Asia, Colaboraciones, Creación de comunidades, Destacados, India, Voz y liderazgo de los estudiantes, Enseñanza y aprendizaje
Los educadores artísticos de la India abandonan viejos hábitos y sus hijos prosperan
longy-admin
Asia/Oceanía, Creación de comunidades, Destacados, Nueva Zelanda, Voz y liderazgo estudiantiles
En Aotearoa Nueva Zelanda, Kaupapa conduce a la conexión
longy-admin
