Reflecting on a Working Collectively in the Arts workshop

6 June 2026, Manchester Museum

In June 2026 I ran a Working Collectively workshop for nine artists with facilitator Alice Blackwell for the SPARK network. This was the second time we had run the session, following a pilot bookable session at Seesaw in Manchester in April. We were invited by the SPARK network to run the session as a useful way to further test and trial it with a willing group of creative participants.

The workshop gathers expertise, experience and knowledge from all participants and concludes the session with a set of agreed principles for positive collective working. It encourages people to work together non-hierarchically and consider how everyone within a collaborative process can feel valued and collectively empowered. What needs to be agreed and in place before we even start to make decisions together? How do we ensure that everyone’s contributions are valued? The workshop helps participants develop a set of shared principles to guide a collective process and encourages people to feel confident in their shared approaches. 

The session in its current iteration is 2.5 hours long and based around a consensus workshop method. It introduces a focus question to participants at the start; with the SPARK group the question we tried out was, ‘As artists, how can we work well collectively to contribute to climate justice?’ In advance of the workshop I had asked group members to think of an example of an artwork that means something to them in relation to climate justice. After a brief introduction to the session by me and Alice, it began with conversation in pairs about chosen artworks and people were then encouraged to share their examples with the wider group.

I then ran the consensus workshop process, guiding the group through each stage, starting with brainstorming, then working in pairs and then together as a whole group to develop clusters of ideas in response to the focus question and then names for each cluster. With the consensus facilitation method everyone can see the ideas emerging and being added to the board at the front of the room, and know that they have contributed. At the end, we reflected on the process and the ideas that emerged from it.

We gathered written and verbal feedback from the workshop. One participant said that they would like to go on to explore shared approaches within the network to what climate justice is. Other feedback included: 

“It was useful to gather thoughts as a group and articulate how SPARK works and can work collectively. I hope we can take these to the wider group and take action!”

“I appreciated thinking about and unpacking the themes and principles of a collective mission and vision.”

“I appreciated the group discussions, it felt collaborative and easy to participate in.”

You can find other feedback and photos from the workshop here

When I became freelance I knew I wanted to develop my role of curator-as-facilitator to bring people together. I wanted to use my learning and experience from working on collective curatorial processes in my curatorial role at Manchester Art Gallery: the joyful and challenging bits and everything in-between. I began my freelance journey by completing a short course in facilitation methods run by the Institute of Cultural Affairs, where I met Alice Blackwell, one of the course trainers. I invited Alice to collaborate on developing and delivering the new workshop and she has been a great critical friend, advising on the principles, process, details and practicalities of facilitation. 

I am aiming to run this short workshop again, developing different focus questions depending on the needs of each specific group. There are also possibilities to tweak and adjust the workshop depending on the group. For example, it would be possible to extend this iteration into a longer workshop, with more time for individual, pair and group working. It would also be possible to extend it into a two-part session, with the consensus workshop first, then a second part where the group can put their shared principles into practice and run a mini collective process. I’d also be interested in playing with visual communication e.g. adding drawing into the session as well as written responses. It has so far been aimed at arts professionals and practitioners; artists and arts workers are often in a precarious and vulnerable position through having to navigate complex and challenging structures as individuals. But the workshop could apply in any context where people are exploring shared values for collective working. I’m excited by the possibilities and keen to talk to anyone interested in this way of working to explore how this workshop can be useful.

Notes:

Castlefield Gallery kick-started SPARK in response to the high demand for places on the 2021/22 SUSTAIN programme focussing on low carbon art making. SPARK is open to artists and creatives who want to find solutions and intervention points in the current trajectory towards climate breakdown. SPARK meets monthly, with each session being hosted by a different SPARK artist.