In our Let's Change Culture discussions, we explored how the term "community engagement" is often misused or misunderstood, particularly by local authorities and organisations. True community engagement involves meaningful dialogue, trust-building, and agency for participants, but this isn’t always what people experience.

Let’s have enriching engagement experiences rather than purely extractive ones.

in a recent creative engagement session with the "Let's Change Culture" group, facilitated in collaboration with Plymouth Culture, I led participants through a collage-making exercise. The idea behind this session was simple but impactful: to understand creative engagement better, through doing and self-reflection to remember what it’s like to experience it first hand (rather than be the facilitator which is what most creatives usually experience!).

What might a better world be like? How could we all get there together? Is art really an essential part of the journey? These are some of the questions we’ll explore in this ‘Let’s Change Culture’ blog.

Creative engagement refers to the process of involving people in activities that stimulate creativity, imagination, and participation. It can take many forms, from interactive art projects and collaborative performances to workshops, storytelling, and hands-on crafting. The goal of creative engagement is often to inspire new ways of thinking, foster community involvement, and encourage personal expression.

In contexts like climate change or social issues, creative engagement can also help people process complex emotions, consider alternative futures, and take action through a more inclusive and imaginative approach.

In August The Art and Energy Collective were commissioned by The West Midlands Combined Authority to create an artwork to celebrate the launch of the region’s new energy strategy which over 100 organisations have been involved in co-creating.

If our gut instincts are what drive a high proportion of what we do, then we can’t rely on logic to change our patterns of behaviour, it means we have to work on the subconscious, pre-conscious, embodied stuff. Participating in the arts could support this. I love the idea that by inviting ourselves to be creative in response to the climate challenge, we allow ourselves to take steps on the journey from where we are to where we might want to be.

Many artists who are deeply concerned about the climate crisis feel trapped by this concept. They worry that even creating art—something often seen as a life-enriching and essential activity—might contribute to the problem. As a result, some assume that the best thing they can do for the planet is to stop creating altogether, to 'do nothing.' However, this mindset misses the potential that art and creativity have in reshaping how we interact with the planet.

Wind turbines have become a powerful symbol of the global shift toward renewable energy. Their sleek, towering forms now dot landscapes across the world, quietly generating power from nature's forces. But what if these turbines could be more than just functional structures? What if they could also be canvases for artistic expression, creating new cultural landmarks and making art accessible in unexpected ways?

The Swansea Tidal Lagoon project, a pioneering renewable energy initiative, has captured the imagination of many across the UK. It’s not just about generating power from the tides—it’s about reshaping how we think about energy, community, and the future of our local environments. But behind the successful planning application lies an inspiring story of how creative engagement helped bring people together to envision a future powered by renewable energy.

The world is changing, and so is the role of the arts in shaping the future. In the face of climate change, creative organisations have an opportunity—not just to reflect the state of the world through art, but to actively influence it through their operations and ethos. This is where a Climate Action Policy and Strategy comes in.

In this blog post, we’re introducing a practical, flexible Climate Action Policy and Strategy Template designed for creative organisations, whether you’re a small independent studio, a performing arts venue, or a national gallery. This tool will help you craft a clear and actionable plan to reduce your environmental impact and become a leader in sustainability within the arts community.

Those of us with limited resources can still develop and implement an environmental action plan by focusing on smaller, practical steps that create meaningful change without requiring substantial investment. Here are some suggestions for how we can approach sustainability with minimal resources:

Developing an environmental or climate vision for an arts organisation involves defining the long-term aspirations that reflect your commitment to sustainability, and how this will shape your operations, programming, and community engagement.

In this blog for the Let’s Change Culture Series, we will be exploring how arts organisations can develop an environmental or climate vision.