Creative Future: Stamping out stigma with Tight Modern

"I set up Creative Future ten years ago with Simon Powell, because as arts professionals with personal experience of marginalisation (mental health, substance misuse, domestic violence and homelessness) Simon and I knew how hard it is to get your work out there when you’re facing multiple barriers. We both worked as arts facilitators in the homelessness sector and recognised there were many talented people without access to arts opportunities, the knowledge or the confidence to promote their artwork.

Since then, we’ve supported over 4,800 under-represented artists and writers who face barriers because of mental/physical health, physical/learning disabilities, homelessness, substance misuse, identity and/or social circumstance. We’re a bridge from the margins to the mainstream, a catalyst for individual change, enabling people to use their creativity to change their lives. We’re unique in the breadth of people we work with and the depth in how we work with them.

The Tight Modern is one of our flagship events—the world’s smallest pop-up art gallery. Next year’s tour will be its 10^th anniversary and its third national tour. We’re very proud of its ability to showcase really talented artists across the country and get hundreds of thousands of people to not only see amazing work, but see the artists in their own right and not just as ‘people with problems.’

Our little gallery with a big impact puts new artists into mainstream galleries and libraries, and has even been featured on the BBC. We’re leading the conversation on valuing the artistic achievements of people under-represented in the arts world but there are still a lot of barriers to break through.

Creative Future is now a team of seven—most of us are creatives ourselves and also people who’ve faced our own serious issues—so we know how important it is to help the amazing artists we work with. Every day we see new, incredible work that they create as well as the challenges they face. Please help us to help them, breaking down stigma through amazing art."

Learn more and support Creative Future by checking out their crowdfunding campaign page below: