Culture, Development and the Art of Change

Cultural Concerns is just me - Steve Garrett. It's the name for the  work I do which is connected with culture (in the broadest sense of the word) and creativity as a means to empowering individuals and communities. I do this by organising community based participatory arts projects (such as the Cardiff's annual Riverside Festival) and by setting up collaborations and exchanges between local and international artists and creative people.

My fundamental belief is that everyone needs to express themselves creatively, and that this is especially true of individuals and groups who are ‘socially excluded’ or disadvantaged in some way. I organise community arts projects, and provide advice, information, resources and support to community artists, funders and cultural policy-makers who want to support the development of better links between 'the arts', personal development and community regeneration.

The work of Cultural Concerns includes:

	organising the annual multi-cultural Riverside Festival
	management of grass-roots cultural projects
	organising community festivals and special events
	managing arts-related conferences and seminars
	organising international exchanges and collaborations between artists working at a community level.
	organsing music projects with disaffected young people

Cultural Concerns was founded by me in 1998 on the strength of my experience working with Community Music Wales, and since then I have successfully organised numerous cultural projects and initiatives on a free-lance basis (see CV).

I have many years experience delivering projects and formulating policy in the participatory and community arts field. I spent four years on the Arts Council of Wales; studied for a year at the School for Social Entrepreneurs; I am a Churchill Fellow; a former Board member of Sound Sense (the UK support agency for community music); and a former Community Music Commission member of the International Society of Music Educators (ISME). I'm currently Coordinator of the Riverside Community Market Association, and vice-chair (formerly Chair) of the Wales Association of Community Artists.

Read more about Steve's work.

website hosted by Wallace IT

35 Beauchamp Street
Riverside
Cardiff CF11 6AX
Wales, UK

Services provided:

	Planning and marketing of participatory arts activities;
	Management of grass-roots cultural projects;
	Organising community festivals and special events
	Managing arts-related conferences and seminars
	Organising international exchanges and collaborations between artists working in the community
	Running music projects with disaffected young people
	Delivering event management training and mentoring