This month in A Culture of Possibility Eugene van Erven discusses his adventures in international popular theatre: adventures that carried him on a journey that led to the founding of ICAF in Rotterdam.

EPISODE 61 | FEBRUARY 20 | 2026

Eugene van Erven | Arlene Goldbard | François Matarasso

On episode 61 of A Culture of Possibility cohosts Arlene Goldbard and François Matarasso talk with Eugene van Erven, a founder of The International Community Arts Festival (ICAF) in Rotterdam, the 10th edition of which is coming right up in March.

There’s still time to register!

Eugene talks about his long and varied adventures in international popular theater leading to the creation of ICAF, offering a fascinating and inspiring account of a life dedicated to cultural democracy.

1988 Radical People’s Theatre. Indiana University Press

1992 The Playful Revolution. Theatre and Liberation in Asia. Indiana University Press

2001 Community Theatre, Global Perspectives. Routledge

2012 Community Arts Dialogues. Treaty of Utrecht Foundation

ICAF Rotterdam: https://icafrotterdam.com/

Eugene’s blog: https://eugenevanerven.wordpress.com/

In the second episode of Parallel Streams Owen Kelly introduces and contextualises a recent episode from the weekly podcasts made by David Rovics. This one, which we repost here by kind permission of David Rovics, contains his personal analysis of the relationships between music, jobs and AI, and provides some practical examples.

EPISODE 02 | FEBRUARY 13 | 2026

Owen Kelly | David Rovics

Wikipedia describes David Rovics as "an American indie singer/songwriter”.

They also say that "his music concerns both topical subjects such as the Iraq War, anti-globalization, anarchism, and social justice issues, and also labor history."

We previously looked at some aspects of his work in the 25th edition of Miaaw on September 13, 2019, when we discussed his community-supported arts club, his crowdfunding activities (including the funding of his then-new album which he recorded that year in Ireland), and his fledgling A Penny A Play campaign.

Earlier this month YouTube deleted all his work from their servers because they claimed it is "supportive of unnamed criminal organizations". They offered him no possibility to remove the tracks they said violated their terms of service, and no possibility of appeal. He has written and broadcast about that, and there are links to this below.

In this podcast, though, he analyses the advent of AI and its relationship to music, musicians’ work, and jobs in general. He made a controversial personal decision to experiment rather than dismiss AI out of hand, and he discusses this. He finishes the episode with some music he has created and released with his imaginary friends in his imaginary band Ai Tsuno.

One of their songs, No Contract, No Coffee, written to support striking workers at Starbucks, won the Labor Grammys (organised by the Labor Heritage Foundation) a few weeks ago.

David Rovics online headquarters: https://davidrovics.com

David Rovics on Substack: https://davidrovics.substack.com

Wikipedia: David Rovics’ entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rovics

The campaign against me: https://davidrovics.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-campaign-against-me.html

Meanwhile on Youtube: Discographies Wiped and Channels Deleted: https://davidrovics.blogspot.com/2026/01/meanwhile-on-youtube-discographies.html

Miaaw 25: David Rovics’ strategies for survival: https://www.miaaw.net/e/david-rovics-strategies-for-production/

The Labor Heritage Foundation: https://www.laborheritage.org

In November 2025 Sophie Hope gave a presentation at a conference called Collaborative Futures, organised in Dublin by Create. In this episode she talks with three participants to discuss the program, the outcomes, and the possibilities inherent in the idea of collaborative futures.

EPISODE 83 | February 6 | 2026

Megan Atkinson | Sophie Hope | Silver Kezir | Damien McGlynn

In November 2025 Sophie Hope made a presentation at a conference called Collaborative Futures, organised by Create in Dublin, Ireland.

In this episode Sophie talks with Damien McGlynn, Director of Create; artist and scientist Silver Kezir; and artist and community worker Megan Atkinson, who all attended the conference on 19 November 2025, in the Rialto area of Dublin.

They reflect on what happened during the day; the importance of intercultural and intergenerational solidarity; the Open Space format of the event; and the significance of good catering!

The conversation took place online on 12 January 2026.

Create website: https://www.create-ireland.ie/

Documentation of the event: https://www.create-ireland.ie/networking-day-2025-collaborative-futures/

The Artist in the Community Scheme: https://www.create-ireland.ie/programme/artist-in-the-community-scheme/

History on the F2 Centre and Fatima Mansions: https://www.fgu.ie/gallery-3

The Figures of 8 project: https://www.create-ireland.ie/projectsubpage/sharing-practice-figures-of-eight/

In the first episode of the year we embark on another journey through the golden age of radio, beginning with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in The Reluctant Tobacconist.

Friday Number Five | Episode 20

January 30 | 2026

HOST Owen Kelly

COMMENTARY

On months that have a fifth Friday we break from our normal schedule and produce something else related tangentially to questions of cultural democracy. In 2026 we dive once more into the golden age of radio to bring back some historical examples of serials and comedies that let us hear unfiltered aspects of the world as it seemed to our grandparents.

We begin with a fine example of the ways in which motion pictures and radio worked together. Many movies became radio series, either as adaptations or as sequels or extensions. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce had made a series of succesful movies as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, and they turned this into an equally successful radio series: The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Here we listen to The Reluctant Tobacconist, first broadcast on April 30, 1945.

REFERENCES

Wikipedia: the New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Archive.org

Old Radio World

Jo Gibson and Sophie Hope begin a new series examining the history of social practice programmes and projects at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Echoes and the Unsaid | Episode 01

January 23 | 2026 PARTICIPANTS

Jo Gibson | Sophie Hope

COMMENTARY This is the first episode in a nine-part series hosted by Jo Gibson (Research Fellow, Institute for Social Justice, York St John University) and Sophie Hope (co-lead of the De-centre for socially engaged practice and research at Guildhall School of Music and Drama). For the first episode Jo and Sophie introduce their research into social practice programmes and projects at Guildhall School of Music and Drama from the 1970s to the 2020s, and give a flavour of what’s to come!

REFERENCES Introducing the De-Centre podcast on Miaaw.net Sign up to the De-centre for Socially Engaged Practice and Research mailing list More about Jo Gibson’s work

More about Sophie Hope’s work Guildhall School of Music and Drama Institute for Social Justice, York St John University Our first miaaw.net podcast: Cultural Democracy in Practice

Today A Culture of Possibility celebrates its fifth anniversary with an in-depth discussion with Griselda Goldsbrough about arts in hospitals. JANUARY 16 | SERIES 2026

A CULTURE OF POSSIBILITY | EPISODE 60

Arlene Goldbard | Griselda Goldsbrough | François Matarasso

Griselda Goldsbrough is a visual artist and writer, and community educator. She has over 15 years’ experience in devising and curating creative art, science and literature programmes and events.

On episode 60 of A Culture of Possibility co-hosts Arlene Goldbard and François Matarasso talk with Griselda Goldsbrough, Art and Design Development Manager of the National Arts in Hospitals Network, “a resource for arts managers in hospitals to champion hospital arts across the UK, supporting recovery and wellbeing.”

The stories she tells about working with patients, staff, and others will inspire you!

National Arts in Hospitals Network

Griselda on LinkedIn

The first in a new Miaaw series, in which we introduce and showcase other podcasts. In this episode the Irene Taylor Trust present Solidarity Tracks, a podcast about working with music in prisons.

PARALLEL STREAMS | EPISODE 01

JANUARY 9 | 2026

Sophie Hope | Sara Lee

The Irene Taylor Trust began in 1995 in memory of Irene Taylor who had a personal interest in both penal reform and music. While serving on the selection panel for the Butler Trust prison awards scheme, Irene had come across Sara Lee, who was at that time music co-ordinator at HMP Wormwood Scrubs. Following Irene’s, the Taylor family decided to set up a charity that would continue to do the work that she had been so in favour of, and invited Sara to set up the Irene Taylor Trust Music in Prisons programme.

Sara has led the trust’s music work ever since.

Sophie Hope recently met Sara Lee, and discovered that the Trust has produced a series of podcasts that describe work that fits directly into our areas of interest. Rather than interviewing Sara, Sophie decided to ask if we could republish one of their podcasts.

This has become the first in a new Miaaw series in which we invite you to listen to other podcasts we think you might enjoy; podcasts that complement, and in some cases extend, the range of actions and works we cover.

The Irene Taylor Trust

Irene Taylor Trust Youtube channel

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Irene Taylor Trust

Sophie Hope and Owen Kelly talk to Su Jones about the reactions she has received to her paper Artists' lives: ecologies for resilience, and what she hopes happens next.

Meanwhile in an Abandoned Warehouse | Episode 82

January 2nd | 2026

Sophie Hope | Su Jones | Owen Kelly

Last summer Su Jones finished writing Artists' lives: ecologies for resilience, a report formed around case studies of 14 visual artists from three English regions. She had been working on it for the last two years.

In this episode Sophie Hope and Owen Kelly talk to Su Jones about the reactions she has received, and her feelings about them. She discusses the position of an independent researcher and the influence she has, or doesn’t have. She talks about the precarious position that visual artists occupy in a country in which increasing numbers of people occupy precarious positions.

Should artists receive a basic incomes, as they have in Irish experiments, or does that simply amount to special pleading? Would a better proposal involve everyone receiving a universal basic income which artists can use to enable them to practice as artists, golfers can use to practice golf, and chess players can use to practice chess?

Su Jones: Artists’ Lives: ecologies for resistance, an overview

Su Jones’ writings at Arts Professional

Su Jones’ article at Arts Professional (paywall)

Su Jones’ article at Arts Monthly (paywall)

Ireland: basic income for artists