A creative community to us means…
Young people from Arnolfini’s Creative Space programme came together with artists Jonathan Baldock and Polly Braden for a collaborative session exploring creativity, community, and imagining future creative spaces for young people.
Creative Space is Arnolfini’s regular open creative programme for young people, developed in partnership with Off the Record Bristol. More than a making session, Creative Space is a place to think together, experiment, share ideas, and build community through creative practice.
Over recent weeks, the group have been exploring themes inspired by Jonathan Baldock and Polly Braden’s exhibitions at Arnolfini — reflecting on questions of care, belonging, connection, and the kinds of environments that help young people feel seen, welcomed, and able to participate within cultural spaces.
The session invited young people to spend time with both artists, experience Against the Tide and Held together, and learn more about how ideas become artworks through making, conversation, and process.
The young people, Jonathan Baldock, and Polly Braden worked collaboratively to imagine what future creative communities for young people could look like, feel, and offer.
Through material exploration, conversation, and collective making, the group explored questions including:
Where do accessible creative communities exist for young people?
What makes a space feel welcoming, inclusive, and safe?
What should every creative space for young people include?
How can these communities best support young people’s creative practices?
The session created valuable space for shared learning, curiosity, and exchange. It offered young people the opportunity to engage directly with exhibiting artists, gain insight into different creative journeys and ways of working, and ask questions about sustaining an artistic practice today.
More broadly, the workshop reflected Creative Space’s ongoing commitment to building a welcoming creative community at Arnolfini—one where young people can develop confidence in their creative ideas, and see the gallery as a place for self-expression and belonging.
With acknowledgment to UWE MA Fine Art: Curating placement student Francesca Pullinger
Photography by Alice Hendy.
‘Creative Space: Our Manifesto’ made collaboratively during Creative Space sessions to shape how the young people want to work together, communicate, and hold space collectively.
Creative Space forms part of Arnolfini’s Engagement Programme, supporting young people’s access to creative opportunities and community-building across Bristol.
If you would like to find out more about youth participation opportunities at Arnolfini, please contact community@arnolfini.org.uk
About the Artist
Polly Braden
Polly Braden is a documentary photographer based in London, known for her intimate, long-term collaborations. Her work focuses on overlooked communities and social issues, including learning disabilities, single parenthood, and…
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Jonathan Baldock
Jonathan Baldock works across sculpture, installation and performance, creating immersive environments that explore the body, materiality and human connection. His practice draws on traditional craft techniques, particularly textiles and ceramics, combining processes such as…
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